Man arrested on suspicion of murder - as police hunt for a body or an injured person

Around 2pm on Friday, June 14, a man was seen with a hand injury in the areas of Farlington Road, Laburnum Road, Queens Road, Pink Road and Chichester Road and was taken to hospital for treatment. But following comments made by the man and other witnesses, he was arrested on suspicion of murder and possession of an offensive weapon, namely a pair of scissors.

This prompted police to look for someone with injuries caused by the suspect, but they have so far been unable to find any potential victim and are appealing for any potential witnesses to come forward.

The man, a 33-year-old from Portsmouth, has now been bailed for these offences until 14 September while the investigation continues. He was also given a community resolution to attend a drug awareness course for possession of cannabis. Superintendent Paul Markham, District Commander for Portsmouth, said: "We want to reassure our residents that every step is being taken to understand the circumstances that led to this man injuring his hand. "Based on the information provided to us by witnesses and the man himself at the time, it was necessary to arrest him on suspicion of murder to enable thorough enquiries to be carried out.  "However, following extensive enquiries by our officers, we have not located anyone with injuries caused by the man, nor any scene for an incident involving him. If anyone has come to harm, or knows someone who may have been involved in any potential incident relating to this man, we would ask you to please contact us. "If you have any concerns please speak to one of our officers, who will be conducting further enquiries in the area this week." If you have any information which might assist us, including any footage – CCTV, dash cam, doorbell camera or mobile phone – please call 101 and quote incident number 44240250886.

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