Man, 33, killed by single knife wound, say police
MURDER detectives were last night hunting those responsible for stabbing a man to death in a field in central Swindon.
The 33-year-old victim was found seriously injured in the middle of a field known locally as The Venny in Swindon at around 2.15pm on Sunday.
Locals say passers-by frantically tried to save the casualty’s life but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Floral tributes and heartfelt messages have been left at the scene.
The 33-year-old man who died has been named as Lee Turner in the messages left in May Close, the culde-sac in Gorse Hill close to where the fatal attack happened in broad daylight.
One of the notes, attached to a bouquet of lillies and included with pictures of three people, said: “RIP
Turner. Taken far too soon. We will forever treasure our memories, especially the London trip.
“Love always, Tasha and Bentley.” Speaking yesterday afternoon Chief Inspector Nick Mawson said: “First and foremost, our thoughts are with the family and friends of the victim at this difficult time and we have dedicated officers in place to provide the support they need.
“Yesterday, in broad daylight, the victim, a 33-year-old local man was stabbed, suffering a single knife wound which led to him sadly losing his life at the scene.
“We understand the concern and distress this will cause to people in Swindon, along with the ongoing investigation into the shooting in
Toothill on Saturday evening.
“We would like to reassure them that we do not believe there to be a wider threat to the public and we have increased our patrols of the area to provide reassurance.
“This is now a murder inquiry and we are continuing our thorough and detailed inquiries at a rapid pace to ensure those responsible are brought to justice, including speaking to witnesses, looking at CCTV and exploring all forensic opportunities.
“We are running a major incident room at Gablecross police station and urge anyone with information, including CCTV from the area, to call us immediately on 101 or, if you don’t want to be identified, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
On Sunday afternoon a Great Western Air Ambulance landed on playing fields as local ambulances crews desperately revive the man.
The entire field, about 400 metres long, was cordoned off by police as a murder investigation was launched.
Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service sent a single crew to the incident. It is believed they erected sheets around the area.
By 4.30pm, detectives and crime scene investigators had arrived. A forensic tent was put up on a large mound in the middle of the field.
There appeared to be a bicycle at the crime scene, near where the man’s body lay.
It is not clear if it belonged to the victim, a suspect or a passer-by who rushed to his aid.
A woman in her 30s, who had performed CPR on the man, was asked to provide her clothing to the police for potential forensic analysis.
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A GARDEN created in memory of murdered TV presenter Jill Dando has been trashed by vandals.
The garden at Grove Park in Weston-super-Mare was installed in 2001 in memory of Jill who was born and grew up in the seaside town.
Jill was murdered on her doorstep in Fulham on April 26, 1999 aged just 37. The garden was vandalised on Saturday night. The damage was found the next day.