Detectives launch murder inquiry after man in his 60s falls 30ft to his death from third floor balcony of young woman’s flat
- Neighbours heard screams and shouts after victim fell from young woman’s flat
- Incident happened in block off a road in Ipswich, Suffolk, at 2.30am yesterday
- Police arrest woman, 24, from Ipswich and a 26-year-old man from Harwich
- Man is thought to have fallen over a waist-high railing on slatted balcony facade
Police have arrested two people in their 20s on suspicion of murder after a man in his 60s plunged to his death from a third-floor balcony.
Neighbours heard screams and shouts after the victim fell around 30ft from a young woman’s flat in a block off a road in Ipswich, Suffolk, at about 2.30am yesterday.
The victim, who has not yet been named, died at the scene, and police have arrested a 24-year-old woman from Ipswich and a 26-year-old man from Harwich, Essex.
A man in his 60s plunged to his death from this third-floor balcony in Ipswich (pictured today)
A police car is parked at the scene outside the block of flats in the Suffolk town this morning
The man is thought to have fallen over a waist-high railing on a wooden slatted balcony facade at a rented two-bedroom flat onto a path in a garden courtyard.
The scene was sealed off as forensic officers hunted for potential evidence inside the flat, and asked residents if they had seen or heard anything suspicious.
Officers remained on the scene this morning, guarding the corridor outside the flat.
The block of flats which borders a redeveloped dockland area has a Tesco Express, a Subway and Papa Johns pizza takeaway on the street-facing ground floor.
One local resident said: ‘I was woken by a woman screaming and shouting in the early hours. Then there were police and emergency services everywhere.
The man is thought to have fallen from the balcony onto a path in a garden courtyard
‘We don’t know what happened. Everyone is just feeling sorry for the man who died. It is just unbelievable.’
Another neighbour said: ‘The flat is the home of quite a young woman. I don’t think she worked. It is a terrible thing to happen on your doorstep. There was a real commotion in the night when the man fell.’
And a third added: ‘The police have been knocking on everyone’s doors. I slept through the whole thing so I couldn’t help them. The officer I spoke to was unable to tell me anything about the circumstances.’
A Suffolk Police spokesman said: ‘Police can confirm that a man has died following an incident at a flat in Ipswich and that two people have been arrested as part of the investigation.
Officers remained on the scene in Ipswich this morning, guarding the corridor outside the flat
‘Officers were called just after 2.35am on Wednesday to reports that a man had fallen from the third-floor balcony of a premises in Duke Street.
‘The man, aged in 60s, was declared deceased at the scene by ambulance personnel. Police have carried out enquiries to identify the family of the deceased who have now been informed.
‘A 26-year-old man from the Harwich area and a 24-year-old woman from Ipswich were subsequently arrested on suspicion of murder and taken to Martlesham Police Investigation Centre where they currently remain for questioning.’
Any witnesses or anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Suffolk Police’s South CID at Landmark House, quoting reference 34924/20