Family pay tribute to “full of life” Creswell dad  – as police launch murder investigation

David Thompson was rushed to hospital having suffered serious head injuries following an incident on Elmton Road in Creswell, near to Ours Bar, at around 1.30am on Saturday, January 27.

The 50-year-old, from Creswell, had remained in hospital in a critical condition, but died in the early hours of this morning. Detectives are now investigating the incident as murder and enquiries are ongoing.

Det. Insp. Maria Pleace, Senior Investigating Officer, said: “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Mr Thompson at this difficult time. They are being supported by family liaison officers as we continue our investigation into the events which led to his death.

“It is vital that we fully understand what happened that evening and the timeline to an assault, which appears to have left David with injuries he wasn’t able to recover from, and tragically proved fatal.”

DI Pleace added: “I would urge anyone with any information about this incident, no matter how small or trivial you think it might be, to get in touch with us.”

David’s daughter, Emma Thompson said: “Even though Dad was 50, he was full of life and enjoyed spending time with his family. He would do anything for anybody. We would like to ask for privacy at this time while we grieve for our loss.”

Derbyshire Police have published a photograph of Mr Thompson with permission from his family.

Officers from the local Safer Neighbourhood policing team are carrying out patrols in the area, and anyone in the community with any concerns or information is encouraged to speak to them. The force reiterated their appeal for information about the assault, or any disorder in the Elmton Road area that night.

You can pass information directly through to the investigation team by clicking on this link.

You can also contact the force using one of the methods below, quoting reference number 24*53519: Facebook – send a private message to /DerbyshireConstabulary; Twitter – direct message the force’s contact centre on @DerPolContact; Website – complete the online contact form or Phone – call 101

You can also anonymously contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.