Colchester murder probe sparked in Distillery Lane, Hythe

Police officers rushed to Distillery Lane, in the Hythe, shortly before 2am yesterday after a man sustained serious injuries.

Despite the best efforts of the attending emergency service workers, the man was declared dead at the scene.

The Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate has now launched a murder investigation in relation to this incident.

Cordon - a forensic team prepares to enter the scene off Haven Road (Image: Newsquest)

No arrests have been made at this stage and the culprit remains at large.

Police officers remained at the scene throughout yesterday with Distillery Lane remaining partially shut from the Haven Road junction for the remainder of the day.

A forensics team was seen probing the area from behind a cordon near a wooded area off the path, which debris could be seen scattered across.

Detective Chief Inspector Antony Alcock from the crime directorate said: "We are working hard to establish what has occurred in the early hours of this morning.

"So far, we have spoken to a number of residents who have been assisting us with our inquiries.

"We encourage anyone in the area, who may have witnessed anything suspicious last night into the early hours of this morning, to contact us.

“We also ask that anyone living in that proximity, who may have any CCTV or dashcam footage, to review it and contact us, to help us piece together what has happened.

"We will remain on scene and there is likely to be a high police presence in the area over the next couple of days."

Closed - the police shut both ends of Distillery Lane (Image: Newsquest)

Late on Monday evening a police boss moved to reassure the public following the murder, saying such incidents do not reflect the true spirit of the Colchester community.

Chief Inspector Rob Huddleston, who is the Colchester district commander, said: "We know incidents such as this will naturally cause concern within the community.

“Thankfully, these incidents are extremely rare and do not show the Colchester community spirit that I know as district commander.

“Over the weekend, we saw the community in Colchester coming together at various events to commemorate Her Majesty The Queen and to celebrate the King.

“These events showed the true spirit of Colchester.”

Chief Inspector Huddleston, who has now urged anyone with information to contact the police, has reassured residents in Hythe they are in safe hands.

“We work along with all our partners to ensure Colchester is a safe place to live, work and visit,” he added.

“We will have policing presence in the Hythe area and indeed throughout the community in the coming days in order to reassure our residents.

“Those officers are there for you, so if anyone has concerns, please speak to them and they will be happy to help you.

“I would also like to take this opportunity to appeal to anyone who has information on the incident but has not yet spoken to us to please get in touch."

It is the second murder investigation to be prompted in Colchester since June after university lecturer Antonella Castelvedere was fatally injured in Wickham Road on June 1.

Economics lecturer Ertan Ersoy, 50, also of Wickham Road, has been charged with his wife's murder. A trial is due to start next year.

Anyone with any information on the latest incident should contact the police on 101 and quote incident 92 of September 12.

Alternatively, an anonymous report can be made via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.