Four quizzed after man found dying in van

Detectives were questioning four suspects today in connection with the murder of a man who was found dying in the back of a van.

Armed officers acting on a tip-off pulled over the vehicle in Sunningdale, Berkshire, and discovered the fatally injured man inside.

When the van was stopped at about 1pm, four men tried to escape. Three were quickly arrested but officers had to use a helicopter to find and capture the fourth man.

Following the arrests, officers searched the white Mercedes Sprinter van and discovered the critically injured man, who was "breathing shallowly".

Attempts were made to revive him and at 2pm - around an hour after the van was initially stopped - an air ambulance was called.

Paramedics were unable to save him and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Eyewitnesses said the victim was wrapped in bags and one officer at the scene remarked that he appeared to have been tortured.

Bystanders also said a sledgehammer, which may have been used to attack the victim, was recovered from the van by investigators.

The four arrested men were being held in police custody today and questioned on suspicion of murder.

Superintendent Richard Humphrey, of Thames Valley Police, said yesterday: "At about 1pm, officers were tasked with looking for a white Mercedes Sprinter van that was believed to be travelling in the Sunningdale area of Berkshire.

"The officers were acting as a result of information that was given to the police, which made officers suspect that the occupants may be involved in crime."

He said that, after the suspects were caught, officers returned to investigate the van, a 1999-registered diesel model.

"They found a seriously injured man within and immediately commenced first aid and called an ambulance," said Mr Humphrey.

"This injured man was not readily visible from outside the vehicle and was only found when a thorough search was undertaken. Despite the efforts of the officers and of the paramedics this man has now died."

A large section of the A30 London Road, near its junction with Cedar Drive, was cordoned off following the incident.

The man's body was left on the pavement, covered with a tarpaulin and forensic tent, while investigators began looking for clues.

David Redding-Lang, 52, landlord of the Sunningdale Lounge, saw the drama unfold outside the pub.

He said: "I was up in the office and I noticed a van being pulled to the side of the road by a patrol car.

"I thought it was just a minor offence - the van was a bit shabby.

"The next time I turned I saw the police chasing someone down the road. There were three other men on the ground. I later saw the police bring back the fourth man."

Mr Redding-Lang said the arrested men were in their 40s or 50s and were held by plastic handcuffs.

He added: "I could see a body underneath the van - the van is directly opposite and I could see the body on the floor. The person had no shoes on and was very still."

Marketing manager John McCann, 38, said his wife Samantha, also 38, collided with a blood-covered man as he tried to escape police.

He said: "As she came out from an alleyway on to the road, she bumped into somebody who was one of the armed suspects.

"She noticed that there were three others already in custody, handcuffed by police and surrounded, and this guy was running away.

"The man was eventually caught. She had her back to him and it was only afterwards police told her he was armed with a gun."

Police said no shots were fired by armed officers during the incident.

South Central Ambulance Service said police called in paramedics at about 2pm, reporting that a man had been assaulted and was breathing shallowly.

Police said they expect to identify the victim after a post-mortem examination later today.

He is believed to be in his 40s. It emerged last night that he lay dying in the back of the van while officers arrested the four suspects.

Superintendent Richard Humphrey, police commander for the Slough area, said the injured man was not "readily visible" and was "only found when a thorough search was undertaken".

The four men being questioned in connection with the murder are aged 24, 26, 54 and 56, police said.