Four held after man stabbed to death in row after party

Officers were called to Brooklyn Road, Cleckheaton, just before 1am on Saturday, following reports from the ambulance service that a man had been stabbed by a gang.

West Yorkshire Police said the arrests of a 19-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman at an address in Castleford just after midnight yesterday followed them holding a 19-year-old man on Saturday afternoon. Yesterday, the force said a 19-year-old woman had also been arrested.

Detectives have been granted extra time to question the 20-year-old woman.

The dead man was last night named by police as Peter Brocklesby, 50, a former prisoner who had been living on the estate since his release from custody a month previously.

Detective Chief Inspector Simon Bottomley said: “Officers have established that the incident which led to this man losing his life stemmed from an altercation at a house party at a nearby property on Brooklyn Road.

“We remain keen to speak to anyone who witnessed either incident, or has information which can assist our enquiries.”

Mr Brocklesby died after he stepped in to disperse a group of up to six youths who were shouting and causing a nuisance following a party in the early hours.

Eyewitness Wendy Belan, 32, said Mr Brocklesby had got into a row with a group of people and was apparently armed with either a cricket bat or piece of fencing. “We saw one of the group give a punch to the side, but we now know this must have been when he was stabbed. The man had started walking back and collapsed in the street.”

Mr Brocklesby was jailed in 1997 for a string of offences involving drugs, kidnap and torture.

In a separate incident, a 32-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 75-year-old man was attacked on Friday night in Alder Street, Fartown, Huddersfield. The suspect remained in custody last night.