E-fit images of suspects released following burglaries in Suffolk
E-fit images of suspects following burglaries in Yaxley and Burgate in April Credit: Suffolk Police
Police are appealing for information and issuing e-fit images of suspects following burglaries in Yaxley and Burgate in April.
One, seen in Yaxley, is described as white, in his early 40’s, of thin build, around 5’11” tall, with short, brown, straight hair, with pitted skin on his face.
The second male seen in Yaxley is described as white, around 30 years old, of ‘fit’ looking build, around 5’11” tall, with very dark, short, spiky hair and olive-tanned skin. He had a tattoo of a bird, possibly a swallow on his hand, and other tattoos could be seen on his arm.
One of the males seen in Burgate is described as white, around 18-20 years old, of slim build and was wearing a grey zip-up top, similar to a fleece.
Cambridgeshire Police has named a man who is believed to have been murdered over the bank holiday weekend. Kevin Lee, who was 48-years-old, from the Fletton area of Peterborough was last seen on Good Friday. His body was found in a ditch by the A16 at Newborough.
His estate car was found burnt out near a farm at Yaxley. A post mortem has revealed he died from stab wounds. A 23-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of murder has been released on police bail.
A man was attacked as he delivered groceries in Yaxley near Peterborough.
The 40 year old was by his van in Landsdowne Road, at about 7.30pm on Tuesday (January 29), when the men approached him.
They demanded the van keys and his wallet.
The victim told them to go away, but as he turned back to the van they closed the door on his arm causing serious injuries. Nothing was taken during the incident.
The men were white, aged between 16-20. One spoke with a foreign accent.
I would like to hear from anyone who has any information about this robbery, particularly any witnesses who may have seen the incident at the van."
At an inquest into Sophie's death held in Huntingdon in December, coroner David Morris recorded a narrative verdict.
The inquest heard the tree was examined prior to the incident and if recommendations had been implemented, the tree would have been made smaller, greatly reducing the risk.
It was found 11 trees in Middletons Road recreation ground were found to be a "high risk" hazard that required immediate removal and a further 18 were found with defects also requiring immediate treatment.
"Sophie's parents are still struggling to come to terms with the fact that their daughter would still be here today if these checks had been carried out."
Today the family's solicitors, Irwin Mitchell, said the family had reached an undisclosed out-of-court settlement with Yaxley Parish Council which was responsible for the tree.
Parents Laura and Martin Howard, from Yaxley, said:
The last 16 months have been horrendous as we've struggled to come to terms with the fact Sophie is no longer with us.
She was a beautiful girl with her whole life ahead of her but this has been taken from her and it is heartbreaking. Her loss to us is immeasurable, and our grief endless.
At first it seemed a tragic case of fate or wrong time, wrong place, sadly after the coroner's inquest it became apparent that this was not the case.
We were horrified when we heard the Health and Safety Executive's report found that Yaxley Parish Council was not following the health and safety guidelines for risk assessments and maintenance in public places and that almost 30 other trees were in a hazardous condition.
We just hope councils across the country take note and learn from the mistakes that led to Sophie's death.
The parents of a 13-year-old girl killed by a falling tree branch have spoken of their heartbreak for the first time and called on councils to improve safety.
Sophie Howard was sitting under a tree on a bench in Middletons Road Recreation Ground in Yaxley, near Peterborough, when she died on June 30 last year.
The branch snapped and fell, killing her instantly.
