Category: Thame news

POLICE investigating the discovery of a burnt body in Milton Common last Friday, July 13, have today made three arrests.
A 19-year-old woman, a 41?year-old-woman and a 38-year-old man have been arrested in connection with the murder. They are currently in police custody.
All three people reside in, and were arrested in London.
The murdered woman, whose body was found in a field just outside Thame, has not been identified but detectives are hopeful that she will be identified tomorrow.

Photo: courtesy of www.indymedia.org.uk (for illustrative purposes only)

THE police officer in charge of a murder enquiry, following the discovery of the burned remains of a woman near Thame, has said today that he is very hopeful that the woman will be identified soon.
DNA from the woman’s body has been circulated by Thames Valley Police to other police forces to try to find a match.
A police spokesperson said today that, just because nobody fitting the woman’s description has been reported missing locally, it cannot be assumed that she was not from the local area. The police continue to keep an open mind on where she was from.
One line of enquiry has been with the medical profession, because the woman would almost certainly have been on medication due to the severity of her arthritis.

BORIS JOHNSON MP has within the last few minutes, announced his intention to stand in the election for Mayor of London, next year.
In a statement, Boris said: “I am happy to confirm that I have today put my name forward to be the Conservative Candidate for London Mayor.
?I have been overwhelmed by the support I have received from so many people across London. I intend to remain an MP and will continue to represent the people of Henley, as I have done since 2001. I have, however, resigned from the frontbench as Shadow Minister for Higher Education with immediate effect.
“London is an outstandingly varied and beautiful place and it deserves a proper debate. I want to bring fresh ideas to the Capital and offer a new direction for Londoners. I believe that the Mayor of London should keep things simple and direct his or her intellectual energy at the core problems that affect people?s everyday lives. I look forward to announcing my detailed proposals later in the summer, should I be fortunate enough to be shortlisted by the Conservative Party.
?Even the greatest cities have further greatness in them. I will stand for a greater London and for putting the smile back on London?s face.?

The South Oxfordshire Conservative Association has release the following statement:
“Boris has proved an excellent Member of Parliament for Henley and the South Oxfordshire Conservative Association would be very sorry to lose him. However we recognise the importance of the position of Mayor of London and know that he would be an outstanding candidate. We will give him our full backing in his campaign to become Mayor.”

FOLLOWING extensive media coverage over the weekend, police have received a number of calls from the public regarding the burnt remains of the body of a woman found in Milton common on Friday afternoon (13/7).
Acting Detective Supt. Rob Mason, said: ?I am pleased with the response so far from the public. We have had around 10 calls and all of them are being extensively followed up by the investigation team.
?Some of the calls we have had are from other parts of the country and we will continue to follow up any leads to establish who she was and who killed her.
?The body could have been at the farm since Thursday evening and I appeal to anyone who has information to come forward.
?I am also particularly keen to hear from anyone who recognises the description of the victim, especially if they have not heard from that individual for a few days. At the moment the public hold the key to this investigation.
?I would also like to stress that crimes of this nature are very rare and I would like to reassure members of the community that this still appears to be an isolated incident.?

Forensic samples from the scene, including unburned bits of the suitcase, believed to have been used to transport the body, are still being analysed.

The body apparently had not been dismembered and there was no sign of a sexual assault.

TYRE tracks, that were being examined by police at the scene of the Milton Common murder, have been eliminated from police enquiries, as they appear to have been made by farm traffic.
Forensic officers are, however, still working to find evidence from the scene.
The location where the burned remains of a grey-haired, short woman were found is a mile and a half from the M40 and around 50 yards from the entrance to the field which is on the A329 Thame to Milton Common road.

The victim’s identity is still a mystery and the police have emphasised that she could be a lot older than 50 years, and have said that if anyone has an elderly friend or relative whose whereabouts they are unsure of, fitting the description, anywhere in the county, they should call them on 0845 8 505 505.

Photo: Courtesy of BBC UK

A/Det Supt Rob Mason, leading the murder investigation, has issued the statement below:
“Police were called by a farm worker at 2pm on Friday reporting a body had been discovered in a field off Rycote Lane in Milton Common. The body had been badly burnt.

I can now confirm the victim was female and at least 50-years-old. She was 5ft tall and petite build. She suffered from arthritis and curvature of the spine, so may have appeared shorter than she was. She had grey curly hair.

Alongside the body was a suitcase which had also been burnt. We believe that the victim was not killed at the scene and the suitcase had been used to transport the body to the scene.

The location where the body was found is a busy farm and witnesses state it was not there on Wednesday (11/07). Other witnesses have stated they saw a fire at the location on Thursday evening (12/07) between 11pm and 11.30pm.

We are very keen to speak to anyone who recognises the description of the victim. As the location where the body was found is just off the M40, it is possible she is not from the Thames Valley area and comes from another part of the country.

Anyone who knows someone who fits the description of the victim and who hasn?t heard from them for a few days and can not get in touch with them, should contact police on 0845 8 505 505.

Crimes of this nature are very rare and I would like to reassure members of the community that this appears to be an isolated incident. “

POLICE have launched a murder enquiry following the discovery of burned, human remains at Milton Common, just outside Thame.
A member of the public reported finding human remains whilst out walking at around 2pm, on Friday, July 13, in a field just off Rycote Lane, on the A329, on Friday afternoon.
The road was closed immediately and remains closed today.
More information later following Press Conference at 10am (Sunday).

SPECULATION in the National Press is rife today, as to whether or not Thame’s MP, Boris Johnson, has made up his mind whether or not to run for job of Mayor of London next year.
Last week, Boris was reported as saying that he was definitely not a candidate”, citing the “logistical difficulties” of his position as MP for the Henley constituency.
But this morning, just briefly, there was a report on his website that he HAD decided to stand, but then the message was removed.

ThameNews.Net can reveal exclusively, if not straight from the horse’s mouth, but from the horse’s groom, (his Parliamentary Assistant)who spoke to us this afternoon, that all the reports in the written press today are merely speculation.
He told us: “Boris is still considering his decision. He has been inundated with emails, phone calls etc from a lot of people, and advise from colleagues of the highest order in the party and family and friends. He is thinking very deeply about what he should do, and as soon as he has made up his mind, Boris will make a statement.
“Obviously, if Boris does decide to stand for Mayor of London, he will have to re-consider his position as a Constituent MP.”

The deadline for applications is Monday.

Photo: “Shall I or sha’n’t I?”

THAME Town councillors are not happy about a developer’s plans for a building in the town’s Conservation area.
Berkeley Homes, who are building the new housing development on the old Rycotewood college site next door, want to demolish an annex wing and an outbuilding and erect two terraced cottages, and convert a barn to a dwelling, as well as providing a a ground floor extension to the exisiting building.

Cllr Nicola Dixon said that she knew the location at 13, Priest End, and that in her opinion, the developer was trying to cram too many properties into, what she called a tiny courtyard, “just to make money out of it.”

Cllrs Beatrice Dobie and Nigel Champken-Woods, were concerned about an increase in traffic generation coming in and out of the entrance to the site, near a busy junction at the top of the High Street.

Sean Moore, who live at Stribble Hills next to 13 Priest End, told the council in a letter that he was concerned about the fire risk of the proposed extension which would only be 10cms from the roof of his property. He too was worried out traffic volumes and a proposed window that appeared from the plans to overlook his proporty.

The town council’s Planning committee voted to recommend refusal of the plan on the following grounds:

1. Over-development
2. Traffic generation
3. Restricted vehicular access