POLICE investigating the murder of a man found battered to death in his home have searched a number of houses as part of the hunt for his killer.

Officers yesterday carried out searches at addresses in Easington, Peterlee and Hartlepool as part of the ongoing investigation into the death of Fred Shipley.

A relative found the body of the 59-year-old, who lived alone, in the kitchen of his home in Paradise Crescent, Easington, on Saturday afternoon.

Mr Shipley had spent the previous night watching the Uruguay v Ghana World Cup match with a neighbour.

It was initially thought his head injuries had been caused by a firearm, but a post mortem examination revealed he had been bludgeoned with a blunt object.

Officers said yesterday that a number of items had been taken away for forensic examination during yesterday’s searches, but that no arrests had yet been made.

Detectives say they have also spoken to a number of the victim’s friends and associates to help build up a picture of his lifestyle and movements in the days and hours leading up to his death.

The officer leading the investigation, Detective Superintendent Ken Donnelly, said: “We are determined to identify and arrest Mr Shipley’s attacker.

“The communities of Easington and Easington Colliery should be rightly appalled that a kind and decent member of their community has met his death in this way, and I urge the community to provide any information they can to assist the police in this investigation.”

He added: “A large team of detectives and supporting specialist teams are fully engaged in the hunt for Mr Shipley’s attacker.”

Anyone who saw or heard anything suspicious in the Paradise Crescent area between 4pm on Friday and 5.40pm on Saturday is asked to contact Durham Police on 0345-60-60-365 and ask for the incident room at Peterlee police station, or ring Crimestoppers on 0800-555-111.