THE husband of murdered building society manageress Carol Wardell made

an emotional appeal yesterday to find his wife's ''evil'' killers.

Mr Gordon Wardell wept as he spoke of his grief -- and hit out at

newspaper reports revealing that as a teenager he had been jailed for

four years for attacking the wife of his school science master.

''It is an injustice to my wife,'' he said. ''My interest is to catch

the killers of my wife.''

Mrs Wardell, 38, was killed by a gang of at least three men who

kidnapped her at the couple's Meriden, West Midlands, home on Sunday

night.

They took her to her branch in Nuneaton and made off with nearly

#15,000 after killing her and dumping the body in a lay-by.

Yesterday Mr Wardell, 40, spoke for the first time since his ordeal.

He broke down several times.

Scarcely audible on occasions, he told of being overpowered by the

gang on Sunday night after returning from posting a letter and visiting

a pub.

''I walked into the lounge and saw that a man had got hold of my wife

and was threatening her with a knife.

''The man was wearing a clown's mask and a dark blue boiler-type suit.

''I was grabbed from both sides and forced down. They told me to keep

quiet and do what I was told and get down on the floor.

The raiders used a chemical -- possibly chloroform -- to make him

unconscious.

Mr Wardell added: ''I am still trying to come to terms with the

situation. I don't know exactly what has happened.''

Mr Wardell said he was worried about his wife's safety after the

branch, where she was assistant manageress, was robbed in February 1993.

It was revealed yesterday that, when he was 17, Mr Wardell attacked

his schoolteacher's wife after luring her to a rendezvous.

He tied her hands behind her back, put sticking plaster over her

mouth, indecently assaulted her and stabbed her in the neck.

He denied attempted murder, but was jailed for four years after his

plea of guilty to grievous bodily harm was accepted by the prosecution.