Community shocked by beauty-spot stabbing
Detectives question three, including two 14-year-old boys after knife killing of youth at nature reserve
THREE boys were last night being questioned on suspicion of murder after a 17-year-old was stabbed to death in a Cambridge nature reserve.
Two 14-year-olds and a 17-year-old male were arrested following the “targeted attack” on the boy by the River Cam in a quiet suburb of the city.
Police were called by paramedics to the scene near Logan’s Meadow at 2.52pm on Saturday.
The victim, who has not been formally named, was pronounced dead four minutes later, leaving the local community shocked.
Witnesses told the Cambridgeshire Live news website that around 10 police cars, two ambulances and a police helicopter were spotted around the reserve, as were armed officers.
A 14-year-old boy was arrested at his home in Cambridge at about 11.30pm on Saturday while another 14-year-old boy and a 17-year-old boy were arrested at their homes in South Cambridgeshire at around midnight, Cambridgeshire Constabulary said.
All were arrested on suspicion of murder and remain in custody in Peterborough. Local businesses said officers had been asking to check their CCTV as part of the murder investigation.
Staff at the nearby Haymakers pub said: “It’s a pretty fine area. It’s not the sort of place you expect that. When it happened, it was a shock.”
A worker at the Chesterton Working Men’s Club added: “It’s a little nature reserve and they’ve got some keep-fit gear in there, It’s an outdoor gym and it’s a nature reserve.”
Asked if there had been violence in the park before, he said: “Never, it’s quite a safe place, Cambridge. It’s a shock, obviously.”
A spokesman for Friends for Logan’s Meadow said: “We are devastated to learn of a fatal stabbing on Logan’s Meadow. Our condolences and thoughts are with the young man’s family and friends.”
Naomi Bennett, a local councillor, said: “There are picnic benches there and people sit out there on summer evenings. In November, it’s fairly quiet. Occasionally open-air picnics might go on a little late and there might be some noise but it’s [not] a crime black spot.”
She added: “Residents are upset that a 17-year-old has lost their life and our thoughts are with the family. When we were out in the Riverside area, it was the week before the incident and most residents just wanted to talk to us about problems with buses.”
Det Supt Carl Foster, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire major crime unit, said: “We believe there were members of the public at the scene who spoke with paramedics but left before our officers arrived. I am directly appealing for these people to make contact with us.”
He said police believed the attack was targeted.
A police spokesman said two of the suspects lived in villages in the south Cambridgeshire district, adding: “While we are keeping an open mind, we believe the victim and those arrested were known to each other.”