A traumatised woman is still having flashbacks after her next-door neighbour apparently stabbed himself in the chest after coming round for help while she was out.

The resident, from Berry Meade in Ashtead, said she arrived home from work just before 10pm on Friday to find police and forensics swarming around the scene.

The woman, who did not want to be named and appeared close to tears, said: "They thought it was murder.

"I had to be escorted into my home because they thought there might be an intruder here."

She said it later emerged that the Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator, who was found dead in another neighbour's garden, had apparently stabbed himself in the chest.

She said: "He came here for help and then went there and died in the garden. It’s quite traumatising. We’re all having flashbacks."

Police said the body of the man, in his 40s, was found at about 7pm on Friday and there is no evidence of any third-party involvement. The death is being treated as "non-suspicious".

The woman said police and forensics searched gardens, carried out enquiries and reassured residents over the weekend.

She said: "It’s like something you see on TV but you never expect to happen where you live. I think everybody is in shock."

She said that the man who died was friendly and used to make a fuss of her dogs but she had not seen him very much over the past year.

She said: "He turned into a recluse. If you saw him, he was pleased enough, but he kept himself to himself.

"He would speak with you but would not start a conversation. I hope he is at peace now."

Another neighbour, who watching TV indoors on Friday evening, said there had been rumours of a stabbing circulating on Facebook and Twitter that night.

He said: "It was dark and all we saw were a lot of blue lights flashing. It was a bit of a shock at the time especially when there were rumours going around that it could be murder or a stabbing."

A woman, who lives down the road, said: "It wasn’t very nice. It’s quite quiet round here. To see police cars and ambulances does frighten you a bit."

 

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