Murder investigation launched after man dies from burns in Walcott
Suspect arrested after fire believed to be deliberately started at property
Police in Norfolk have launched a murder investigation after a man in his 70s died from injuries sustained in a fire at a property in Walcott.
Emergency services were called to an address at Coastline Village, off Ostend Road, at around 5pm on Sunday, 7th December, following reports of a dispute.
Fire, police, and ambulance teams attended the scene and discovered the victim with serious burns believed to have been caused by a fire deliberately set in the doorway of a property.
The man was taken to Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital but tragically died in the early hours of Monday, 8th December.
A man in his 40s was arrested at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder. Following the victim’s death, the suspect has now been further arrested on suspicion of murder and is in custody at Great Yarmouth Police Investigation Centre, where he will be questioned by detectives.
Detective Chief Inspector Kev Barber, from the Norfolk and Suffolk Major Investigation Team, is leading the investigation. He confirmed that the victim and suspect were neighbours and known to one another.
DCI Barber said: “While we are still in the early stages of our investigation, we can confirm both the victim and suspect were known to one another and were neighbours.
“The focus of our enquiries will be to understand the circumstances leading up to the incident yesterday. We have cordons on two addresses and officers will conduct scene enquiries throughout the day.
“With Walcott being a small village, I appreciate this incident is likely to cause public concern, but based on what we know so far, we don’t believe there is any wider threat to the public.”
DCI Barber has urged anyone with information or anything that could help the investigation to contact the police.