Christmas carnage across UK with several murders and arrest of a teenage boy

26 December 2023 , 14:57

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Distraught onlookers comfort each other at the scene of a fatal stabbing on Cranwood Street in East London (Image: Dinendra Haria/LNP)

Police have been spending the Christmas period dealing with a spate of unconnected murders across the UK in what has been dubbed a wave of ‘ Christmas carnage’.

Anguished scenes unfolded at the police cordon around Cranwood Street in Hackney as grief-stricken people visited the scene where a 49-year-old man had been killed in the early hours of Boxing Day.

Metropolitan Police apprehended four people, two men and two women following the vicious knife attack in East London. Two men aged 49 and 42 and two women aged 44 and 35 have been arrested on suspicion of murder and remain in custody, the force said, following the attack in the early-hours of Boxing Day. Inquiries continue to trace the victim's next of kin.

Officers were called to reports of a stabbing in Cranwood Street at around 3.10am on December 26. The victim was found to have suffered stab wounds and died from his injuries, detectives said. A police cordon was in place in Cranwood Street on Tuesday afternoon, with forensic vans parked nearby. Three bikes could be seen beyond the cordon, two lying in the road and a third against the gates of Moorfields Eye Hospital.

Meanwhile in nearby Bermondsey in south east London horrified friends, family and neighbours woke up on Christmas Day to the horrific news of the knife murder of a 22-year-old woman. A 16-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of the Christmas Eve murder.

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The Metropolitan Police described how cops were called to reports of a 22-year-old woman with knife injuries at a residential property in Spenlow House at 10.30pm on December 24. Paramedics attended the scene but the young woman was pronounced dead there shortly after, detectives said.

A police sniffer dog outside Spenlow House in Jamaica Road, Bermondsey where a 22-year-old woman died from a stab injury on Christmas Eve (PA)

The teenage suspect was arrested on suspicion of her murder nearby later that evening, detectives revealed in a statement on Christmas Day. The victim and suspect were known to each other, the force confirmed.

The teenager remains in custody at a south London police station, and the woman’s family have been informed. Detective Chief Inspector Brian Howie commented: "One person has been arrested, however we still need to hear from anyone who was in the Spenlow House area [of Bermondsey] between 7pm and 11pm on Christmas Eve and may have seen or heard anything suspicious.

"I would urge anyone with any information that may be relevant to our investigation, no matter how insignificant it may have seemed at the time, to come forward immediately." A post-mortem examination is due to be carried out today (December 26) the Met said.

Police in Nottinghamshire are investigating after the Christmas Day killing of a 29-year-old man in Wollaton. Emergency services were called to Wollaton Road at the junction of Western Boulevard, at 8.15pm on Christmas Day (December 25) after a man was assaulted. The 29-year-old victim was taken to hospital by ambulance but died a short time later, detectives said.

Police tent at a crime scene on Cranwood Street in East London following a fatal stabbing (Dinendra Haria/LNP)

A 20-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder while two other men, aged 32 and 26, were also arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender. Police said the victim’s family has been informed and are currently being supported by specially trained officers.

All three suspects remain in police custody and a crime scene remains in place as investigative work continues. Detective Chief Inspector Matt Croome, of the East Midlands Special Operations Unit, said: “As our investigation continues our thoughts will remain with this man’s family.

“This is a tragic incident and we are currently working hard to understand what happened. To this end we are encouraging people with additional information to come forward. We’d like to speak to anyone who saw or heard anything suspicious and would particularly like to hear from residents and motorists with CCTV, doorbell camera, or dashcam footage from the area.”

Another man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a seperate incident in a North Yorkshire town in the early hours of Boxing Day.

Police were called to Rosemary Court, Tadcaster, at 7.20am after getting reports of a man with serious injuries. North Yorkshire Police officers and paramedics attended to a man in his 20s but he was pronounced dead “a short time later”, the force said.

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A cordon is in place around the crime scene and members of the public are being urged to avoid the area and his next of kin have been informed. A police spokesperson said: “The area surrounding the scene is currently closed while our officers and specialist teams carry out inquiries and the initial investigation.

“North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service are also supporting officers at the scene with specialist screening equipment to allow a thorough investigation to take place.”

Witnesses, residents with CCTV cameras and motorists with dashcam footage who may have been in the area at the time are being asked to contact the Police control room on 101 as a matter of urgency.

Joe Smith