Retired postman: Robert Mandley, 66, was moving into a new flat in South Africa when he was attacked

An Army veteran who retired to South Africa for a better life was clubbed and strangled while moving house, an inquest heard today.

Retired postman Robert Mandley, 66, was moving into a new flat near Johannesburg when he was attacked by his gardener and another man who had been helping him move.

Mr Mandley, from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, was beaten with a hammer before being left for dead on the floor of his new home in April.

Today, his family criticised how police handed the case amid fears his killers would never be caught, after one man was arrested following the killing but later released without charge.

Mr Mandley, who served in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, moved to South Africa with his wife Valerie in 2008. She died from cancer six months later, but he decided to stay there.

His brother Chris, 59, told Beaconsfield Coroner's Court today: ‘The story as I was told, was that Robert was moving house and he’d been attacked by the gardener.

'The gardener was from the previous house. Apparently there was a guy who used to help the gardener and they were both helping him move.’

But while helping carry boxes into the flat in Vanderbijlpark, which is about 45 miles south of Johannesburg, the pair attacked Mr Mandley. A post mortem examination found he had been ‘assaulted with a weapon’, believed to be a hammer.

He had a head injury and his body also showed signs of being strangled, either of which could alone have caused his death, a report said.

Relatives: Mr Mandley's brothers and sisters (from left) Chris Mandley, Diana Ateem, Sheila Mandley and Don Mandley outside Beaconsfield Coroner's Court in Berkshire today following the retired postman's inquest

Chris Mandley, who rushed to the scene the following day from neighbouring Zimbabwe, could find no reason why the pair had turned on his brother, but said ‘crime is quite common in South Africa’.

He confirmed Mr Mandley knew the men, so would have recognised them if he had survived.

The hearing was told the South African authorities had provided minimal information to the coroner. Police have confirmed the death was being treated as murder but are not commenting further.

Mr Mandley joined the Army in 1964 and was part of local Buckinghamshire regiment the Royal Green Jackets. During his time in service he was posted as far as Bermuda and Belize.

He also served in Northern Ireland where he witnessed the Bloody Sunday fighting. But he left the Army in 1976 and then worked as a bookbinder in Aylesbury before later becoming a postman.

Richard Hulett, senior coroner for Buckinghamshire, told how it was ‘mysterious’ that the post mortem suggested Mr Mandley had been taken to hospital, after an apparently instantly-fatal attack.

Home in South Africa: While helping carry boxes into the flat on this road (pictured) in Vanderbijlpark, which is about 45 miles south of Johannesburg, the pair attacked Mr Mandley

He said: ‘This is an unlawful killing, which is the equivalent in this case of murder. The motivation is not something I have got to go into but it seems as though there’s more to this than meets the eye.

It seems as though there’s more to this than meets the eye Richard Hulett, senior coroner for Buckinghamshire

‘It’s slightly mysterious that he appears to have gone to hospital. On April 19, I believe at his new address, he was attacked by two men.

'That is available from the evidence. It may be that he survived for a short period of time in hospital, but again, that seems unlikely if there was a real, maintained effort at strangulation.’

Speaking after the hearing, Chris Mandley said it was hard for the family to see high-profile cases like the murder of Anni Dewani, also in South Africa, gain global attention and government intervention while they were left without justice.

Comparison: The family said it was hard to see high-profile cases like the murder of Anni Dewani (above with husband Shrien) gain global attention and government intervention while they were left without justice

And Don Mandley paid tribute to his ‘kind’ older brother, with his ‘quirks’ and ‘subtleties,’ adding that the inquest had given as much closure as possible given the limited details surrounding the death.

At the end of the day, he was murdered and we feel a bit let down Don Mandley, victim's brother

He said: ‘The doors were closed and they always had been I think. At the end of the day, he was murdered and we feel a bit let down. We just want a bit of justice and closure as a family.’

Mr Mandley’s sister Diana Ateem said she felt let down by the Government and Foreign Office - but the family paid tribute to the Victim Support charity for their ongoing assistance.

Ms Ateem added of her brother: ‘He always had a smile on his face. He was enjoying his life out there.’