'Interviewing a murder victim before they died made this case unique' - Harold Monk murder detective lifts lid on investigation
The murder of Harold Monk was unusual as detectives interviewed the victim before he passed away.
Paul Topham, 45, attacked Harold Monk in his own home but the injuries did not kill the 94-year-old until 24 hours later when he was in hospital.
Detective Inspector Phil Poole said: "It was an unusual aspect of this murder investigation as we were able to speak to Harold before he sadly passed away.
"He was with it right to the end and was able to provide us with key information which we were able to use as in the trial. Harold provided unique evidence in a murder investigation as he provided our detectives with a statement which had a major impact on the jury in the trial.
"Due to the pathology evidence we had I was determined to charge Topham with murder. He gave evidence in his defence but I thought he came across as callous and unfeeling."
