Forensics team searches as locals are now fearful of alley
FORENSIC officers were looking for evidence in the Swadlincote alley where a teenager was murdered.
Wearing full white forensic suits, they have were sifting through bushes in Wragg Passage yesterday, where 17-year-old boy Benjamin Orton died following an assault on Saturday night.
A forensics tent has been set up at the far end of the passage, which remains cordoned off.
A witness has told the Burton Mail he is now worried about using the alley, which runs alongside the Odeon cinema.
He said: “It was shocking to find out about the incident; it’s so worrying to hear about something like this happening so close to home.
“It’s also worrying as I use that alley on a daily basis with my family, including my daughter. It just seems like a normal alley in a quiet town, but it’s now the scene of what appears to be horrifying incident.
“I looked down the alley from Weston Street and could see about five forensic officers sifting around in the bushes which run the whole length of the alley.
“They had forensic suits on and were using tools to look through the bushes. They were wading into some of the bushes.
“It’s sad. It hits you quite hard. There’s clear emotion in the community and shock someone so young’s been killed.
“It’s shocking to happen to someone with so much still to do in their life.”
Derbyshire Police say the teenager died at The Pipeworks retail park, of Coppice Side, Swadlincote, after the assault, just before 10.40pm.
Ambulance crews were called to the scene, but were unable to save the boy. Further details about the nature of his injuries are not yet known.
A 20-year-old man was also found with serious injuries and taken to hospital, where he was last night in a stable condition.
Police, who have launched a murder probe, say they will have an increased presence in the area, but have not released any more details.