Ex-Army man discovered dead in flat as police arrest 49-year-old in murder probe

Simon Geary has been described as a ‘much-loved son and brother’ by his family

Mr Geary was found dead in a flat in Syston in Leicestershire on Tuesday (Leicestershire Police)

An ex-Army man has been discovered dead at a flat in Leicestershire, as police arrest another man as part of a murder investigation that has been launched.

Simon Geary, 49, was pronounced dead by paramedics inside the apartment in Brook Street in Syston just after 11.45am on Tuesday.

Detectives, who believe Mr Geary was assaulted, have since arrested a 49-year-old man on suspicion of murder. The man remains in custody.

Meanwhile, in a statement issued through Leicestershire Police, Mr Geary’s family described him as a “kind caring soul”.

It said: “Simon was a much-loved son and brother. The support he has given our family will never be forgotten. He was a kind caring soul who served his country in the Army and we are so proud of what he achieved in his career.

“We would ask the public to please respect our privacy at this very difficult time.”

Mr Geary’s family asked the public to respect their privacy (Leicestershire Police)

Officers working at the scene of Mr Geary’s death are speaking to residents in the area and examining CCTV to find out the movements of the victim prior to his death.

The area has been cordoned off to allow for forensic officers and a specialist search team to examine the flat.

Detective inspector Kevin Hames said: “A team of detectives from the major crime team, supported by specialist resources and local neighbourhood officers, are working to understand exactly what has occurred.

“We believe the incident happened inside the flat in George Toon Court sometime yesterday morning. The victim and the man in custody are known to each other and while our investigation is still in its early stage, we are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident at this time.

“There are officers in the area who are speaking to people who may have saw or heard anything that could assist with our investigation. If you have not been spoken to but have some information that could be useful, please contact us.”

The force asked that anyone with information relevant to the investigation call 101, quoting crime reference 25*748093.