This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-24076859
The article has changed 10 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 1 | Version 2 |
---|---|
Murder inquiry into Leicester family house fire deaths | Murder inquiry into Leicester family house fire deaths |
(35 minutes later) | |
Police have launched a murder investigation after four members of the same family were killed in a house fire in Leicester. | Police have launched a murder investigation after four members of the same family were killed in a house fire in Leicester. |
The victims have not been formally identified but police believe they are a woman and her three teenage children. | The victims have not been formally identified but police believe they are a woman and her three teenage children. |
They were found dead in upstairs bedrooms at their house in Wood Hill, Leicester, shortly after 00:35 BST. | |
Detectives are investigating the possibility that the fire was linked to the murder of a man on Thursday. | |
Assistant Chief Constable Roger Bannister said Leicestershire Police was examining the possibility of the blaze being a revenge attack. | Assistant Chief Constable Roger Bannister said Leicestershire Police was examining the possibility of the blaze being a revenge attack. |
He said the murdered man was "in his 20s and lived locally". | |
He was assaulted in Kent Street, less a mile away from the scene of the fire, at about 17:30. | |
"These are obviously both very serious incidents and investigations have begun to establish if there are any links between them," said ACC Bannister. | |
"I understand the level of concern there may be in the city and would ask things not to escalate. | "I understand the level of concern there may be in the city and would ask things not to escalate. |
"I invite people, that if they have any concerns, to speak to the officers at the scene or call the police." | "I invite people, that if they have any concerns, to speak to the officers at the scene or call the police." |
'Father in Ireland' | |
ACC Bannister said the mother who died in the fire was thought to be in her late 40s, her daughter was 19, and her two sons were 17 and 15. | |
Neighbours said the family worshipped at the nearby mosque, and the father had been away in Ireland at the time of the fire. | |
Zeeshan Bawany, a family friend, said the father "couldn't believe what was being said to him" when he was told what had happened. | |
Mr Bawany said he was asked by the family to go to the house and check it was true. | |
A post-mortem examination on the man murdered on Thursday is due to take place later. | |
BBC Radio Leicester's Kamlesh Purohit was in the area shortly after the assault, and saw a man lying on the floor. | |
"What I saw right next to my car was a car parked in the middle of the street and just in front of the car was a man lying on the floor," he said. | |
"He appeared to be of West Indian origin and at that stage I thought perhaps there had been a car accident." |