Armed police have locked down a village in West Sussex amid a stand-off with a 72-year-old man who is thought to have a gun.
Officers were called nearly 18 hours ago – shortly after 4pm on Sunday — to a house in Harbour Road, Pagham, West Sussex, after reports a pensioner was armed and using threatening behaviour.
Sussex Police negotiators and armed cops remain on the scene, with the siege continuing as they try to make contact with the man.
Detective superintendent Nick Sloan said: “The safety of the local community is our utmost priority.
“Local residents in Harbour Road have been advised to stay inside, but should they wish to or need to leave their properties, we will be able to facilitate this with police support.
“Communication continues with the lone man in the house and we hope to resolve this situation as quickly and safely as possible.”
A woman known to the man was also in the house but she left soon after police arrived and is safe and well.
There have been no reports of injuries.
l A family of five, including three children, have been found dead at a house in Ireland.
Police said the discovery was made at Ballyjamesduff in County Cavan yesterday.
Investigators found a man in his 40s, his wife, aged in her 30s, and their three sons aged 13, 11 and six.
A spokesman for Garda, the country’s police service, said: “The Garda investigation is ongoing but at this stage we are not looking for anyone else in relation to the deaths.”
Councillor Paddy Smith, told Independent the whole area was shocked by the deaths.
He said: “Everyone is shocked.
“If there is five people dead, it’s tragic, no matter what.”
l A woman was dragged to the ground and sexually assaulted as she walked through the grounds of a west London cricket club.
The incident happened at approximately 9.10pm on Friday, when the victim was walking near to the clubhouse of Hanwell Cricket Club.
The woman in her 30s was approached by a man who spoke to her in an accent, which she described as sounding eastern European, possibly Polish.
The attacker then pulled the victim to the ground and sexually assaulted her, before she managed to break free and run off, police said.
Scotland Yard said the suspect is described as a white male, aged in his late teens or early 20, and approximately 5ft 10inches tall.
At the time of the attack he was wearing a white t-shirt, grey shorts, socks and trainers.
Detective sergeant Steve Grainger, from the Met’s sexual offences, exploitation and child abuse command, is leading the investigation.
He said: “I am appealing for anyone who was in the area of Hanwell Cricket Club and Greenford Road on the evening of Friday, August 26 and saw anything suspicious to get in contact.
“Have you seen a man fitting the suspect’s description in the area, or did you see him leaving the scene after the attack?
“If you can help, please call police.”
l A man who worked for the Queen’s bank died after a single punch during an attack in a leafy south-east London street.
Oliver Dearlove, 30, was rushed to hospital after being attacked in Tranquil Vale, Blackheath, in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Emergency services battled to save his life before airlifting him to hospital, where he died at about 10pm.
Dearlove had worked for four years as a relationship manager at Duncan Lawrie Private Bank after moving from a position as a senior lending officer at Coutts, the exclusive bank used by the Queen.
His mother Joy Wright said her “perfect” son died after hitting the ground when he fell backwards following a single punch.
“He was very easygoing, lots and lots of friends, played lots of football,” she told the Guardian.
Describing what she understood to have happened, she said: “He and his friends all met up, had lunch, dinner, drinks.
“He texted his girlfriend that he loved her around 10pm.
“Someone picked a fight, punched him and (he) fell backwards and that was it.
“I don’t think there was an altercation.
“I think someone said to him and his friends ‘what are you looking at’ and that was it.
“I think he stopped breathing when he hit the floor. His friends gave him CPR.”
She added: “He was just perfect.
I’m in a state of shock”
Doug Keighley, marketing manager at Duncan Lawrie, said colleagues were shocked at the death of a “very very popular guy”. Today police launched a murder investigation and said they were hoping to speak to a group of up to four women who Dearlove is thought to have spoken to around the time of the assault.
Officers stressed they were being sought as witnesses not suspects.
Scotland Yard’s DCI Lee Watling, from the homicide and major crime command, said: “We are retaining an open mind at this stage of the investigation with regards to a motive and our primary aim is to establish how Dearlove came to receive the injuries which led to his death.
“We are appealing for anyone who was at Tranquil Vale who witnessed the incident — in particular a group of up to four white females who Dearlove and his friends were speaking to around the time the offence occurred.”
Police have made no arrests.
A spokeswoman could not confirm the injuries which led to Dearlove’s death and said a post mortem was scheduled for today.
Following the attack, nearby All Saints Church held prayers for the victim and their loved ones.
A large police cordon remained in place for much of Sunday as officers swept the scene for evidence, with shocked Blackheath residents using Twitter to express concern.
Jack Rich tweeted: “Anyone able to shed light on what’s happened in #Blackheath? Village partially closed by police cordons.”
Jules Elizabeth tweeted: “Lots of Blackheath closed off.”