Man held after two women are killed in village street ‘bloodbath’
‘We are just a nice ordinary estate. Everyone is struggling to come to terms with what has happened’
A MAN was in police custody last night after two women were murdered in a frenzied attack in a West Sussex village as locals prepared for Christmas.
The victims were killed on a street in Crawley Down, about six miles east of Crawley, yesterday morning, in what residents described as a “bloodbath”.
A man was found seriously injured inside the property and was taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, where he was reportedly being treated in the major trauma unit.
Emergency vehicles, including ambulances, police cars and a helicopter, were dispatched to a semi-detached home on Hazel Way at about 10.20am.
The two women were found outside the property and were declared dead at the scene.
Police arrested a man on suspicion of murder but gave no further details. Residents said 10 police cars had arrived in the street.
Many residents were convinced that the two women had been stabbed, but Sussex Police strenuously denied that the attack was a knife crime.
Detectives did not reveal the cause of the deaths, though the force said it was an isolated incident with no further risk to the public.
One neighbour who saw police officers and ambulances arrive said the killer had “gone berserk”.
“To think that on a Sunday morning you wake up to a normal day and suddenly all this happens. It is even more desperate because it is so close to Christmas,” the man added.
Another neighbour said: “This is a terrible scene – and so near Christmas.
Those poor people, they must have been terrified in the moments before they died.
“This is normally such a quiet place, nothing nasty ever happens here. We are just a nice ordinary estate with no trouble.”
The neighbour added: “Everyone is really struggling to come to terms with what has happened.
“The paramedics were here really quickly and were brilliant but sadly there was nothing they could do.”
The bodies of the two women were covered with white blankets in the street as forensic officers searched a property for evidence.
Three police forensic tents were pitched in the street and investigators wearing white suits could be observed combing the area nearby for evidence.
Det Ch Insp Alex Geldart, of the Sussex and Surrey major crime team, said: “This is a fast-moving investigation which will see significant police resources deployed to the scene for the foreseeable future.
“We are grateful for the support and patience of the local community while we conduct our inquiries.
“My thoughts are very much with the friends and family of the two women who have sadly lost their lives.”
Last night, a police cordon remained in place around the houses, close to where the bodies were found.