Murder of disabled Newcastle man Lee Irving being treated as a hate crime
|
Version 0 of 1. Police have said that a murdered Newcastle man may have been targeted because he was disabled. The body of Lee Irving, 24, was found near Hazeldene Avenue in Fawdon, Newcastle upon Tyne, early on Saturday. Mr Irving, from Camperdown, a street near to where his body was found, suffered from learning difficulties and was vulnerable, according to Northumbria Police. A post mortem was carried out over the weekend, and the results prompted police to launch a murder investigation. Lee Irving's body was found near Hazeldene Avenue, Newcastle upon Tyne One of the police's key lines of inquiry is to find out whether his disabilities were a motivation for the crime. Currently, police investigators are treating his death as a disability hate crime. Police say it is thought that those involved in the crime know each other. UPDATE: Body found in Newcastle - murder investigation launched. Five people arrested. http://t.co/9s6XXtqcDR Four men and a woman have been arrested on suspicion of murder and are in police custody. Superintendent Bruce Storey, of Northumbria Police, said: "It's important those suspected of being responsible face the consequences of their actions and I would urge anyone who was in Fawdon on Saturday morning, between 7am and 9am, to come forward and speak to us" Anyone with information is asked to contact Northumbria Police on 101, extension 69191 quoting reference 407 060615, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. |