Prescot man one of three charged with murder of Blackpool man
They'll appear in Blackpool Magistrates Court on Saturday 15 April
A Prescot man is one of three people charged with the murder of a Blackpool man following an aggravated burglary earlier this week.
Lancashire Police were called to Scorton Avenue in Blackpool at around 6:50pm on Monday 10 April.
It was reported that three men went into a flat and assaulted a man before fleeing.
Officers arrived and spoke to the victim of the burglary, 44-year-old John Hutchinson from Blackpool.
Later the same day, at around 9:10pm, police were called to the same address by the ambulance service because Mr Hutchinson suffered a suspected cardiac arrest.
He was taken to hospital but later died.
A post-mortem found that he died as a result of internal injuries caused by the earlier assault.
His next of kin have been informed.
Lee Clarke, 33, of Greenall Court, Prescot, has been charged with murder, as have:
- Daniel Cunningham, 33, of Tarnbrook Drive, Blackpool.
- Darren McCabe, 47, of Warwick Road, Blackpool.
They are due to appear at Blackpool Magistrates Court tomorrow (Saturday 15 April).
Three other people who were previously arrested - a 34-year-old man from Blackpool, a 36-year-old man from Liverpool and a 34-year-old woman from Blackpool - have been released under investigation.
Det Ch Insp Andy Fallows, of Lancashire Police's Force Major Investigation Team, said:
"Our thoughts are still very much with Mr Hutchinson’s family at this very sad and difficult time. We are leaving no stone unturned as we establish exactly what happened and who is responsible.
"As part of our investigation six people have been arrested and of those three have now been charged. However we are still very keen to speak to anyone with information or any witnesses who can assist our enquiries.
"Were you in the Scorton Avenue area around the time of the assault? Did you see anyone in the area acting suspiciously? Do you have any dashcam or doorbell footage that shows anything suspicious in the area? If so, please come forward and speak to us.
"We are particularly interested in a grey Ford Fiesta car, registration SG18 BGU. We believe this vehicle travelled to Blackpool from the Merseyside area on Monday. This vehicle is now in possession of police but if you saw this vehicle on April 10, please come forward."
Anyone with information about the attack is asked to call police on 101, quoting log 1207 of 10 April.