Inquest opens into death of grandfather stabbed while walking dogs

An inquest has opened into the death of an 83-year-old man who was fatally stabbed while walking his two dogs.

Peter Wrighton, from The Moor, Banham, Norfolk was repeatedly stabbed in the neck and head and his body was found in woodland near the village of East Harling on Saturday morning.

Norfolk's senior coroner Jacqueline Lake said: "He left his home address to take his dogs for a walk.

"He was found unresponsive by a member of the public on a footway at Harling Woods.

"Paramedics attended and Mr Wrighton was pronounced dead at the scene."

A post-mortem examination recorded the medical cause of death as "incised wounds to the neck".

His body was formally identified by his wife Ann to a police officer at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital on Tuesday.

The hearing, at Norfolk Coroner's Court in Norwich, was told Mr Wrighton was a retired BT engineer and was born in Tottenham, London.

The inquest was adjourned for review on December 14 2017.

No arrests have been made since Mr Wrighton's body was found by a member of the public.

Mr Wrighton's family and his wife of 59 years described him as "a lovely, gentle husband, dad and grandfather".

The retired BT worker had a "kind nature" and had a "love of walking his dogs and chatting with people to pass the time of day", his family said.

Murder detectives are continuing to investigate his death and believe a member of the public could hold the key to finding his killer.

Chief Superintendent Mike Fawcett moved to reassure the public that detectives are following "several lines of inquiry" and police had received more than 100 calls.