Man Arrested in Murder Hunt – Police Believe It Was Not a Random Assault

Published on: 5 Jan, 2019
Updated on: 5 Jan, 2019

Horsley Station where the victim died.

A man has been arrested in connection with the murder investigation following a stabbing attack on a train from Guildford to Horsley yesterday.

See: Murder Hunt After Boy, 14, Sees Father Stabbed To Death On Guildford Train

At approximately 6am this morning (January 5, 2019), police officers attended an address in the Farnham area where the man was detained on suspicion of murder.

Overnight, the police were studying CCTV images and following up leads that led them to a Farnham address.

A 27-year-old woman was also arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender. The police have, so far, declined to give further details of those arrested.

DCI Sam Blackburn from British Transport Police (BTP), said: “This is a fast-moving investigation and I am pleased that overnight we were able to arrest a man following a huge amount of police enquiries.

“The investigation is moving with good progress and we are now confident to say that this is not believed to be a random assault. In the moments leading to the violent killing, both men appeared to be involved in an altercation lasting three minutes.

“Nothing justified the extraordinary violence that followed, and we are concentrating our efforts on the on-going investigation.”

The family of a 51-year-old man, whose teenage son was nearby when he was stabbed multiple times, are being supported by specially trained family liaison officers. A post-mortem examination is scheduled for early next week.

DCI Blackburn added: “We are continuing our appeal for information and I would urge anyone who was on board the train to contact us as soon as possible. Even if you did not witness the assault, it is vitally important we speak with you. Likewise, if you have any dashcam footage of the Clandon area after 1pm yesterday afternoon, we would like to hear from you.”

Those with information can contact BTP by sending a text to 61016 or by calling 0800 40 50 40 quoting reference 210 of 04/01/2019.