Woman murdered at beauty spot in New Forest

Updated
Woman murdered in New Forest
Woman murdered in New Forest




A woman is believed to have been murdered as she tended her horse in a field in the New Forest national park.

The woman's body was found in a field in Lyndhurst Road, Beaulieu, in the heart of the Hampshire beauty spot, just after 4.40pm on Tuesday afternoon.

Neighbours have spoken of their shock following the discovery.

Detectives from the major investigation team said they are treating the death as suspicious and are appealing for witnesses. Words:PA

A post-mortem examination is being carried out.

A tent is currently in place to preserve the crime scene and police officers are guarding the property.

Workers can be seen in the grounds of Leygreen Farm which is opposite the field.

The scene is about half-a-mile from the famous Beaulieu National Motor Museum.

Apart from the farm, the only neighbouring property is a bed and breakfast and the owner said she did not want to comment.

A neighbour who lives further down the road said: "You're not safe anywhere."

Another resident said: "It's a little strange, they seem to be saying it's murder which is unusual, nothing like that has happened in the 15 years I have lived here."

A nearby landowner said that he would be surprised if the death was actually a murder.

He said: "The field is used for horses and up until recently there has been someone going there regularly and keeping a horse there and to me that would be consistent with an accident in the field,
if you are around horses things do happen - they are easily spooked and that field is near the road,
there could have been a big bang, there are all sorts of scenarios."

The neighbour said that he believed the woman who tended a horse in that field did not live in the immediate vicinity.

Detective Superintendent Paul Barton, who is leading the investigation for Hampshire police, said:
"We are treating the discovery of a woman's body in Beaulieu as murder."

He appealed for anyone who was in the Lyndhurst Road area between 2pm and 5pm on Tuesday to contact police.

He added: "We will be increasing our patrols in the area but I want to remind the community that crimes of this nature are extremely rare."

One resident said: "It's not exactly an inner city here, I think it's either an accident or we're all going to be Miss Marple trying to work out who did it."

Related stories

British woman slashed in terrifying attack over 13p in Morocco

Woman found dead at hotel in Bournemouth

Saudi Arabian Woman Murdered in Brutal Attack in Colchester
Saudi Arabian Woman Murdered in Brutal Attack in Colchester


Advertisement