Four arrested after police find dying man in van after tip-off

The white vehicle was stopped in London Road in Sunningdale, Berkshire, at around 2pm yesterday after armed officers followed the vehicle with the assistance of the Thames Valley Force helicopter.

Four men were arrested and when police subsequently fully searched the vehicle they discovered the man, who had been badly beaten in what may have been a botched kidnapping.

Three suspects, believed to be in their 40s and 50s, tried to flee but were arrested and a fourth member of the gang who ran off through the village was also eventually captured.

A green tarpaulin sheet last night covered the body, which was shoeless and positioned on the pavement next to the vehicle. A large section of the A30 London Road, near its junction with Cedar Drive, remained cordoned off.

Shocked eyewitnesses in the normally peaceful village claimed the body had been found wrapped in bags and only discovered 45 minutes after the arrests had been made. One said there were attempts to revive him, and artificial resuscitation was performed, but that by the time paramedics arrived "it was too late".

Police last night confirmed the body had not been "readily visible" to officers looking in from outside as they were making the initial arrests. One officer at the scene remarked the man appeared to have been tortured and it was indicated a sledgehammer may have been used. No shots were fired during the events.

Sources said the dramatic events were the result of either a botched armed robbery or, more likely, a kidnapping and there were suggestions the suspects may have been Eastern European.

Supt Richard Humphrey, of Thames Valley Police, last night confirmed the murder investigation and revealed that armed officers had been looking for the white Mercedes Sprinter van following information the occupants may have been involved in a crime. Once stopped the four occupants attempted to run off.

"Three were detained in the immediate vicinity of the van and the fourth was arrested after a more extensive search which involved the use of the police helicopter, other officers, and assistance from members of the public," he said. "The officers returned to the van...and then made a search of the vehicle. They found a seriously injured man within and immediately commenced first aid and called an ambulance.

"Despite the efforts of the officers and of the paramedics this man has now died."

David Redding-Lang, 52, landlord of the Sunningdale Lounge, saw the drama unfold outside the pub. he said: "I was up in the office and I noticed a van being pulled to the side of the road by a patrol car. I thought it was just a minor offence, the van was a bit shabby.

"The next time I turned I saw the police chasing someone down the road. There were three other men on the ground. I later saw the police bring back the fourth man."

"I could see a body underneath the van, the van is directly opposite and I could see the body on the floor. The person had no shoes on and was very still."

Ilda Divico, who works nearby, said she saw armed police pull the van over and four men run out of the vehicle.

"One of them was face down in front of my front door with a gun in his face," she said. "Another one went running off in one direction and they were all then cuffed and caught and put on the floor for at least 45 minutes before they even realised there was a body in the back of a van, which was hidden in a white cement sack, a big sandbag."

Witness Courtney Craig, 22, a waitress at Fego Caffe, near London Road, said: "There was quite a few people gathering around when the helicopter landed and lots of police.

"Everyone was pretty scared."

Three were detained in the vicinity of the van and a fourth arrested after a more extensive search