A former employee of Uttlesford District Council is reported to be the man who shot his daughter in an East Sussex village before killing himself.

Yasser Alromisse, who was community safety officer at the authority between 2008 and 2009, is believed to be the girl’s estranged father and is understood to have shot her at the home of his former partner in Northiam, near Rye.

The girl, named as Mary Ann Shipstone, seven, has since died from her injuries at King’s College hospital in south London.

Her father’s body, which has yet to be formally identified, was found by armed officers in a parked car nearby the property.

According to neighbours, he arrived at the home of his former partner shortly before 4pm on Thursday.

Detective Chief Inspector Jason Taylor of Sussex police said: “This is a fast-moving investigation and there are still a large amount of inquiries being carried out before we can confirm the full picture of what happened.

“We are currently trying to establish Mr Alromisse’s movements over the last few days and are keen to hear from anyone who may have seen or heard from him.

“At this time however, I am not looking for anyone else in connection with this investigation and believe this to be an isolated incident.”

In a statement yesterday, Mary’s family wrote: “We are today grieving the death of our beautiful and loving Mary.

“We would please ask that the public and media respect our privacy and allow us to try to come to terms with what has happened.”