Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
City-wide probe as man dies
Three arrests as ‘victim’ found with head injury in school field
The death of a man found unconscious in a school field with a serious head injury has sparked a large police investigation.
Three arrests were made and forensics teams called to two city streets after the early-morning discovery next to running tracks at the Canterbury Academy.
The death of a man discovered unconscious near a school running track has sparked a police investigation spanning the breadth of the city. Forensics teams carrying out enquiries into the tragedy have been spotted in Union Street and New Dover Road – about two miles from where he was found. The man, who in his 40s, was discovered with a serious head injury near the running track at Canterbury Academy at 4.15am last Tuesday.
He died in hospital three days later.
Stunned 75-year-old Irene James, who lives close to the scene in Knight Avenue, told the Gazette: “I’m shocked because you don’t expect anything like this so close.
“I’ve been living here for 15 years and I’ve never heard of anything like that happening.” Three men arrested in connection with the incident, who were all known to the man, remain on bail pending further inquiries. A post-mortem examination is due to be carried out later this week to establish the cause of his death.
As part of their investigation, detectives are appealing for any witnesses to a disturbance in Union Street hours before the man was found.
A number of residents saw four police cars parked close to the junction between Union Street and Military Road for several hours on Monday afternoon.
One says a forensics vehicle was stationed in the road for three days. Officers are understood to have also carried out door-to-door enquiries in the area.
Samantha Wood, 31, said: “There were two police vans, a car and a sort of police Jeep in the road on Monday. They were there for ages.
“I was a bit worried because there was a lot there.
“I hadn’t heard a commotion or anything; there was nothing out of the ordinary. It was bizarre.”
Detectives – including forensics teams – also spent hours at a bungalow in New Dover Road on Wednesday.
A number of patrol cars were spotting outside the property, with others lining the street nearby.
They are continuing to investigate how the man came to be in a serious condition, and urging anyone who may have walked through the area between 8pm last Monday and 4.15am the following morning to come forward.
Anyone with information should call police, on 01843 222289, quoting reference 46/89430/20.