Police appeal for public help after 'well liked' man found murdered in own home

Officers were called to the scene on Hyrstlands Roads, Batley, by the ambulance service at about 9.10pm on Thursday, April 23.

A 61-year-old man was found in his house and pronounced dead at the scene.

Police launched a murder enquiry.

A 64 year old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder.

He remains in police custody

Detective Chief Inspector Tony Nicholson of Protective Services is leading the investigation and appealed for help to understand more about the victim.

He said: “Our enquiries are at an early stage but I need to know why this happened.

“The victim was well known locally and was liked by many in the community. People would often pop in to his house to say hello and he was known to help people out if they needed assistance – especially around the garden.

“I am therefore appealing to that same community to come forward with information about the victim – who his friends were and who he socialised with.

“I need to speak to anyone who visited him in the last two days or knows anyone who did – please come forward so we can build a clearer picture of his life and his movements.”

Chief Superintendent Julie Sykes, District Commander for Kirklees Police, said: “Incidents like this cause understandable concern in the community but we have a number of uniformed officers providing a highly visible presence in the area to help offer reassurance.

“If you have any information that could assist in the investigation please come forward and report it – no matter how unimportant it may seem.”

A scene is still in place at the house and Hyrstlands Road at its junctions with Purlwell Lane and Carr Side Crescent are closed.

The roads are likely to remain closed today as enquiries continue into what happened.

Call police on 101 quoting log 2208 of Thursday, April 23.