Police plea in hunt for baseball bat killers

Serioza Lawskoski, from Leacroft Road, Peartree, Derby, died in hospital after he was set upon by five masked men armed with baseball bats or sticks in Derby on Saturday night.

Police said officers were called to Cummings Street in the city at 7.40pm, where they found a man unconscious with head injuries. He was pronounced dead later in hospital.

A 25-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder and yesterday remained in police custody for questioning, a Derbyshire Police spokeswoman said.

Det Supt Andy Stokes said it was “vitally important” that anyone with information about Mr Lawskoski’s murder contact police.

He said: “Mr Lawskoski was attacked in the street in broad daylight and we know that many people saw what happened.

“We’d like to hear from anyone who saw a group of about five men, dressed in black, acting suspiciously either before or after the crime was committed at about 7.30pm on Saturday.”

The group of men, wearing dark clothing and heavy jackets, are believed to have fled the scene via nearby Silver Hill Road. Police said they were wearing dark clothing, heavy jackets and balaclavas.

A post-mortem examination revealed Mr Lawskoski died of head injuries, the force spokeswoman said.

The force is appealing for anybody who was in the area of Cummings Street, where forensic teams have now completed their examinations, between 7pm and 8pm on Saturday to contact them on 0345 123 33 33 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.