Father arrested after three generations of the same family found dead in house

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13 April 2012

Three generations of the same family were yesterday butchered to death in a brutal knife attack at their home.

The bodies of two adults and two children were each found in separate rooms of the property in an affluent city suburb.

Elizabeth Sobo, 36, and her children, Abigail, 12, and Steven, five, had all been stabbed along with Miss Sobo's elderly Nigerian mother Omotunde.

Miss Sobo's ex-partner and the father of both her children was being questioned by police in connection with the killings.

Neil Crampton, a 33-year-old taxi driver, was dramatically held by armed officers just hours after the grim discovery in the quiet, tree-lined street in Kenton, Newcastle upon Tyne.

The bodies of the four family members were found shortly after 9 a.m. when police received a telephone call from a concerned member of the public.

Their £250,000 semi-detached home was immediately sealed off before murder squad detectives launched a city-wide manhunt for Crampton

He had separated from Miss Sobo in 2002 after a turbulent relationship, but remained in contact with his two young children.

It is believed that Miss Sobo, who has since struck up a relationship with another man, allowed him to see them every weekend.

Crampton, a former bartender, was finally arrested at his parents home in nearby Gateshead where he had moved to, soon after the couple broke up.

Armed officers surrounded the car and ordered him to step out of the maroon coloured Ford Focus he was driving. He was then told to place his hands on the bonnet before being handcuffed and led away.

The car, believed to belong to his parents, Williams, 70 and Ann, 62, was last night taken away by police for forensic examination.

Shocked friends and neighbours of Miss Sobo spoke fondly of the "lovable family" and said the community had been left horrified by the tragic murders.

Elizabeth Cessford said: 'It's devastating. I never thought it could happen here, especially not to a lovely family like that.

'The little ones were such a joy. I watched them playing all summer long from my window which overlooks their garden.

'They spent a lot of time jumping on their trampoline together. The garden was always full of toys. I could always hear them laughing.

'They were a very happy, contented young family and I can't imagine what led to this or who on earth would wish to hurt them.

'It's a really nasty shock and I know all the neighbours, even those who don't know them by name, are very distressed about it.'

Another neighbour said she heard the 'screams' of the young boy but assumed that he had been having a tantrum.

Former colleagues who worked with Miss Sobo at a local ASDA superstore in Gosforth described her as a 'fantastic woman' who was well respected and loved by all.

One said: 'I can can't come to terms with what has happened. She was such a lovely woman and would go out of her way to help anyone she knew.

'She was so selfless. What has happened is an incredible tragedy.'

Family liaison officers are now comforting the extended family. One relative Dr Abaiomi Sobo, believed to be Elizabeth Sobo's uncle, 75, has worked as a medical consultant in England, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Liberia and is a trustee of the charity Mental Health Concern.

His wife, Maureen, refused to comment at their £600,000 home in Ponteland, Northumberland, but added: 'He is strong. We will deal with this.'

Police also attended the large detached home of Yinka Sobo, a furniture dealer aged in his forties, who lives in Newcastle's affluent Jesmond suburb.

Police refused to confirm how the four family members met their death but a source said: 'They all suffered multiple stab wounds.'

Forensic experts are expected to examine the house in Hawthorn Gardens, for the next day at least and are also searching the property Crampton shared with his retired mother and father.

A spokesman for Northumbria Police said: 'A 33-year-old male relative has been arrested in connection with the discovery of four bodies in Newcastle.

'The man was arrested at an address in Gateshead and has been taken to Ethal Lane police station for questioning.'

An eye-witness who saw him arrested said he was taken away shortly after 2.30 pm. The woman, who did not want to be named said: 'There was a police van and three police cars waiting at the side of the road.

'As the Ford Focus pulled into the street they surrounded it and ordered the driver to get out. He was then bent over the bonnet, his hands were placed behind his back and he was handcuffed.

'They also placed a polythene bag over his hands. There were police officers everywhere. 'There was also another man in the car. I don't know how old he was but he was sat in the back of the car with a female police officer.

I heard her say something like: "look it's serious"'. Detective Superintendent Steve Wade, who is leading the murder investigation, said the bodies would be formally identified in the next 24 hours.

He added: 'Our priorities at this time are to establish exactly how and when the victims died and who was responsible.

'I cannot confirm how they died - that is a matter for the Home Office pathologist - or whether or not any weapons were used or have been found.

'I am also not prepared to speculate on the identity of any suspect other than to say that we need to contact anyone who was a regular visitor to this house or visited the house recently.'

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