Boy, 14, arrested on suspicion of murder after man dies in Consett

Officers were called following a disturbance in the residential street of Southernwood, Consett, just after 5.30pm yesterday.

Police said David Cameron, 47, had suffered a serious head injury.

Doctors and paramedics also attended but he was pronounced dead a short time later at the scene.

David Cameron died near his home 

• Consett murder probe victim named

Family friend of the victim, Aaron Woodhead, said: "I have known him since I was a little child.

"I found out through a phone call to my dad.

"He was an absolutely lovely man. I adored him to bits. We did not expect anything like this."

Police cordon off an area of Southernwood, in Consett, where a man was fatally injured. Picture: North News & Pictures

Local resident Margaret Ransome added: "I didn’t actually hear about the incident, it is only what I saw last night.

"I thought there was something sinister with it being cordoned off.

"I found out more this morning after I have been out for coffee.

"It makes you cringe a bit. I think it was so sad when it is a young boy who has been arrested when you have got grandchildren."

On Friday morning the area remained cordoned off with police vans blocking the road to the crime scene.

Friends and relatives of the victim came to leave floral tributes and to pay their respects.

The circumstances surrounding the incident remain unclear at this stage but one of the man's neighbours, Sheila Farah, said she has not felt safe since a small gang of children began hanging about in the area last year.

She said: "I do not feel safe when they are here.

"They have been very rough and rude.

"A few times cars have been scraped but I don’t know if it was them.

"Usually it has been very safe around here. I am very sad for him. He comes in to my pizza shop and  he was always very polite. He was a very nice guy."

Durham County Councillor Alex Watson said the tragedy would have a severe impact on the community.

He said: "I think it is really tragic. It is not good for the area, I know it happens across the county and the region.

"People will argue that we get a lot of violence in a place like Consett but they are isolated incidents.

"It really is upsetting and it upsets the whole community."

The 14-year-old boy arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the incident remains in police custody.

Detective Superintendent Dave Ashton, who is leading the investigation, said: “This is a tragic incident for all involved, and I would like to offer my condolences to the victim’s family.

“I would like to reassure the local community that we are not looking for anybody else in connection with this incident.

“We have a dedicated team of officers and staff who have been working around the clock to establish exactly what happened.

“Throughout the day we will be carrying out house-to-house enquiries and will also be reviewing CCTV footage of the surrounding area.”

A spokesperson for the North East Ambulance Service said: "We were called just before 5.30pm yesterday to a private address in Consett.

"We dispatched a rapid response paramedic, a double-crewed ambulance and a doctor." 

Anyone who has any information that could help the investigation and has not already spoken to police is asked to call 101.

Alternatively information can be passed on anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.