Two more arrests over golf course body

A 44-year-old and a 23-year-old were held at a property in Hove, East Sussex, just before 1pm in connection with the killing of Stefan Welch.

A man aged 21, who was arrested on Tuesday, remained in police custody last night after officers were given until 6.50am today to detain him.

A post-mortem examination showed Mr Welch, 37, probably died from a blow to the head before he was found by golfers as they walked between the 17th and 18th holes at Dyke Golf Club on the outskirts of Brighton just before noon last Saturday.

Detectives believe he was murdered elsewhere before being taken to the golf club on the South Downs and set alight.

Mr Welch, who lived at the Phase One hostel in Oriental Place, Brighton, was known to police and was identified after a DNA sample provided a match on the national database.

Det Insp Carwyn Hughes, of Sussex Police’s Major Crime Branch, said: “This is a fast-moving inquiry. We appreciate the support of the local community in assisting us in our investigation.”

Mr Welch’s family have spoken of their anguish, saying that words could not adequately describe their heartbreak at his death.

Their statement said: “We know that we are not alone in our grief as he was loved by a wide circle of friends and others who knew him.

“Stefan was not a violent or malicious man and relied on the trust and support of those around him, who we believe took to him as soon as they met him.”

One friend, Gavin Carey, 28, who used to live in the room next to Mr Welch, said he had been receiving a methadone script and would have been on a detox programme.