Woman killed in house with a ‘number of children’ present as murder investigation launched

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails

Sign up to our free breaking news emails

Please enter a valid email address

Please enter a valid email address

SIGN UP

I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy

A woman was killed in front of a “number of children” at a property in South Gloucestershire, with a man arrested on suspicion of murder.

Police were called to an address in Wedmore Close in Kingswood at around 3.50pm on Monday, after receiving reports of a serious assault.

Upon arrival, they found a woman with significant injuries but despite the best efforts of paramedics, she was pronounced dead at the scene at around 4.30pm.

A post-mortem examination is yet to take place while a 43-year-old man, who was known to the victim, was arrested from within the property.

In a statement, police said that a number of children were inside and were thankfully unhurt, yet are “understandably distressed” about the situation.

They are currently being looked after by a family member and are being supported by specially trained officers.

Neighbourhood Policing Chief Inspector Dan Forster, of Avon and Somerset Police, said: “Our Major Crime Investigation Team will carry out a full investigation into what happened. At this time, the incident is being treated as an isolated one involving people known to each other.

“A cordon is currently in place to protect the scene and to allow crime scene investigators to carry out a forensic examination of it.

“Residents of Wedmore Close can expect this cordon to be in place for at least a couple of days as all the necessary inquiries are completed.

“To provide reassurance to them, and the wider community, neighbourhood officers will be carrying out increased patrols in the area over the coming days.

“Incidents like this are very rare but when they do happen, we know they cause significant concern so we’d urge anyone with worries or questions to speak to an officer or contact their local neighbourhood policing team.”

He added that the Professional Standards Department had been notified and a mandatory referral will be made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) to assess the force’s response to the incident.