Stourbridge New Year's Day murder: Man charged over flat death of neighbour
A man has appeared in court charged with murdering a neighbour, whose body was found at a flat in Stourbridge on New Year's Day.
The 59-year-old victim, Paul Tomkins, was discovered inside the flat in a two-storey block on Forge Road, Wollaston.
A post mortem took place yesterday and revealed that he dies from stab injuries.
A 33-year-old man was arrested at his home shortly after the discovery at 7.05pm.
Daniel Jones, aged 33, also of Forge Road, had been charged with murder and appeared before Dudley magistrates today.
He was remanded in custody until a hearing at Wolverhampton Crown Court tomorrow.
Officers were called to the flat in Forge Road, Wollaston, by a concerned neighbour who raised the alarm.
When the officers arrived they forced open the door of the flat to make the grim discovery inside the flat.
The victim was found with injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police tape and plastic sheets covered the windows and door of a ground floor flat in the block which contains four apartments. A semi-detached house in the same road – believed to be where the man was arrested from – was also cordoned off by police. Officers were combing the front gardens, rubbish bins and drains for evidence as part of the murder investigation.
Detective Inspector Martin Slevin, from Force CID, urged people to help officers piece together the circumstances of the attack in the cul-de-sac.
"We are still in the early stages of piecing together exactly what happened and would ask anyone with information to come forward and contact us," he said. "At this stage it appears the offence has happened inside the flat and a forensic post mortem examination will take place in due course."
Detectives are still trying to establish the circumstances surrounding the man's death and are asking anyone who can assist the investigation to call them on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
