Village in fear after dog walker, 83, is murdered in woods
A KILLER who stabbed an 83-year-old dog walker to death in broad daylight was being hunted last night.
As police patrolled the streets of the quiet Norfolk village nearby, residents said they were terrified to go out walking or let their children play outside.
Fifty officers are working on the mystery of why the elderly father of two was repeatedly knifed during a morning stroll with his two dogs through woodland.
Yesterday it emerged he was killed in the same spot as the unsolved violent rape of a 71-year- old woman some 20 years before. Detectives confirmed they were exploring historic crimes in the East Harling area as part of the investigation into Saturday’s murder.
Councillor Brian Copping, 67, who has lived in the area all his life, said everyone in the village – around three miles from the crime scene – had been shaken by the killing.
‘We are in the dark … we don’t know where the person came from,’ he said. ‘We don’t know if it is someone in the village or not. It’s very low crime here. People are very shocked … I had half a dozen ladies come past this morning – I guess they are not going to walk that way until something is resolved … They
are very, very concerned that this could happen on our doorstep. It’s not as if we are a big city. That doesn’t happen here.’
Elizabeth Mould, vice chairman of Harling parish council, said: ‘Everyone is appalled and shocked … A lot of us walk our dogs down in the woods so we are worried. One assumes the killer is still out there. Families with young children are worried and wondering if it is safe to let their children out to play.’
Police made a plea for infor- mation, adding that the public could ‘hold a vital clue’. The killer’s motive remained unclear last night as some claimed the dense woodland was a hotbed for drug dealing.
The victim died after being repeatedly stabbed in the neck and head, a post-mortem examination confirmed. He has not been formally identified but was described as around 5ft 7in with grey hair and glasses. The ‘wellmannered, well-natured and well-liked’ man, had been driving a red Skoda which was found parked nearby.
His two dogs, a ten-year- old foxhound- cross and a 13-yearold trailhound-cross, stayed by him until a fellow walker found his body. Retired engineer Terry Ransom, 73, who walks his dog in the area, said: ‘I have been coming up here for 20 years and the woods have become more dodgy. The area is a bit scary.’
He added: ‘I am used to seeing people drawing up in cars. You seem them exchanging something … I am sure it is to do with drugs. At around the end of June I saw two men … One looked like he was hiding things in the wood while the other was keeping watch.
‘Two days later I saw a teenager come to a stop in the same area and he picked up a package which he put in his pocket.’
The murder comes more than two decades after a rape in the same woods. The sex attacker, described as around 16 with a Mediterranean appearance, has never been identified.
Asked whether the crimes may be linked, Chief Superintendent Mike Fawcett said police ‘will look at all avenues’. He said he was not aware of claims the wood is used by drug dealers.
Police have not found the weapon and locals were asked to check their bins for suspicious items or blood- stained clothing. Bin collections in the village have been delayed.
Mr Fawcett added: ‘ I fully understand residents will be shocked and concerned that a murder with this level of brutality can happen … in our county.’
‘Killer is still out there’