Chittering: Murder Investigation Starts

By Katie Burnett

A murder investigation has started after the body of a 76 year old man was discovered in the Cambridgeshire village of Chittering.

The man's body was found in a house in Ely Road at about 12.30pm yesterday (Sunday).

Officers were called to the property by concerned neighbours, who noticed the house had lights on and an open front door.

Police have since confirmed that his death is being treated as murder.

The victim's car, a silver Rover, is believed to have been stolen from the house in Chittering at around 6:30pm on Saturday.

The vehicle was discovered five miles away in Church Lane in the village of Milton at 7:30am today.

The car is believed to have been in Milton since 11:30pm on Saturday.

Forensic investigations are continuing at the house where the man's body was found, and officers are knocking on doors of nearby houses to try to get more information.

Officers are also trying to find out more about the movements of the stolen car.

DCI Chris Mead said: "I would appeal to anyone who was in the area of the A10 close to the Travellers Rest public house between 6pm and 11.30pm on Saturday and saw the vehicle or anybody acting suspiciously to call police.

We are keen to hear from anyone who saw the car between the time it was taken and when it was left in Church Lane, Milton, later that night.

The car has significant mechanical problems and may have made a lot of noise as it was being driven. It is also unlikely to have been reached any great speed."

A post-mortem on the man's body is expected to take place on Tuesday.

Police have confirmed that one line of inquiry is that the man was the victim of a burglary that went wrong, and it is likely to take officers 'several days' to search the house to establish what was taken and gather evidence.

Anyone with any information is asked to call police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.