Colchester: Four Bailed Over Teen Murder

Four people have been arrested (Thursday November 15th) in connection with the murder of a teenager in Colchester.

Jay Whiston was stabbed at a house party on Marlowe Way on Saturday, September 8th.

The 17-year-old boy from Aster Close in Clacton died a short time later in hospital.

A provisional post-mortem examination result showed that he died from a stab wound.

Detectives arrested the three men and one woman at a house in the Colchester area shortly after 6am today.

A 51-year-old man, an 18-year-old man and a 42-year-old woman from the Colchester area and a 17-year-old girl from Clacton are being questioned by detectives at a police station in north Essex.

They have been bailed until December 19 2012.

Senior Investigating Officer, DCI Simon Parkes, said "This is very much a live investigation where we continue to benefit from the support of the public.

"Today we have arrested four on suspicion of assisting an offender. We remain convinced that there are people who have yet to contact us; who know what happened and are protecting those responsible. It is those people we would appeal to come forward."

Five people from Colchester are currently on police bail until Thursday, November 22 after having also been arrested in connection with this ongoing murder investigation.

Since her son's death, Jay's mother, Caroline Shearer, has launched a campaign to fight knife crime.

She has opened a charity shop in Colchester to raise funds for her campaign Only Cowards Carry.

Mrs Shearer has also called for "weapons awareness'' to be taught in schools.

"It's no good teaching them these lessons once these children have found out what path they want to take in life,'' she said. "The younger the child you can get to the more chance you've got of changing the mindset of why our children are carrying knives.''