Third body dumped near city double murder site

The latest body was found by firefighters yesterday after they were called to put out a bonfire on open ground in Pit Hill Park, on the Holme Wood estate in south Bradford.

Police were last night exploring the theory that the man was killed at another location before his body was taken to the park, doused in flammable liquid and set alight.

His remains were found less than 36 hours after two men – one believed to be in his early 20s, the other about 30 – were found dumped in a nearby quiet country lane, with head injuries so serious that they were unrecognisable.

The killings, described as “horrifying” by the Bradford Council leader, are not thought to be linked and are being investigated in parallel by separate teams of detectives.

But the teams are sharing intelligence and neighbourhood officers have stepped up patrols along with mounted police in a concerted effort to reassure alarmed residents.

Detectives are keeping an open mind on the motive for the murders, but there is no suggestion that either case is gang-related or linked to organised crime.

The head of West Yorkshire Police’s elite Homicide and Major Enquiry Team (HMET), Det Chief Supt Andy Brennan, said: “To have two murder scenes in such close proximity is extremely rare. We are working very closely with the neighbourhood policing teams in and around the Holme Wood area and the support we have been getting from local people has been very good.

“If residents continue to engage with the neighbourhood policing teams, I am confident that we will find out who committed these crimes.”

Bradford Council leader Ian Greenwood added: “It is a horrifying event and we would want everybody to come forward and give as much evidence as possible so we can catch the perpetrators.

“I am absolutely confident that the police will apprehend them, as they have been tremendous in recent years at protecting the public in Bradford.”

Pit Hill Park was sealed off after a crew from the West Yorkshire Fire Service found the burning body on the bonfire at about 6.15am yesterday.

Dozens of police officers were deployed and at least two homes on the estate were searched as part of the inquiry.

Among the entered properties was a house in Eggleston Drive, where a witness had reported having seen a man carrying a rolled-up carpet.

Nearby resident Wendy Hayman, 64, said: “Everyone is being careful who they open their door to at night. All these bungalows are full of old folk. No one around here is connected with drugs or anything like that so it has been a real shock.”

Neighbour Phil Robson said: “I won’t be letting my kids play out until it is all over. It’s them I am scared for.”

Today police hope to formally identify the first two murder victims, who were found by a passing motorist in New Lane shortly before 10.30pm on Tuesday. The Yorkshire Post understands that one of the men was from Bradford and the other might have lived in the London area. One is believed to be of Asian origin and the other of Eastern European descent.

The results of a post mortem on one of the men are yet to be released, but both are believed to have died from head injuries.

Residents of Tong, the nearest village to where the bodies were found, have been urged to come forward if they have information which could help the inquiry.

A drug dealer, Philip Smith, 29, was shot dead in a layby near the site in 2002, but serious crime in the area is rare.

Coun Michael Johnson, one of three city councillors who represent Tong ward, said: “The biggest problem in this ward is usually loose horses, not bodies. Residents are obviously concerned, but they seem to be reassured by the police presence.”

Det Supt Paul Taylor, who is leading the investigation into the burned body, said he was “liaising closely” with his colleague Det Supt Dick Nuttall, in charge of the New Lane inquiry.

He added: “Although the incidents are geographically close, there is nothing to suggest at this stage that they are linked.”