11/07/2005

Police to question man in Lauren murder investigation

Detectives investigating the murder of 10-year-old Lauren Pilkington-Smith are waiting to question a man arrested in north Wales at the weekend.

The 44-year-old man is being held by police in north Wales in connection with two attacks, including a serious sexual assault.

Lauren’s grandfather found her body in a wooded area close to her home in Leigh, Greater Manchester in the early hours of Friday morning. Her family contacted police after she failed to return home on Thursday evening.

A post-mortem revealed that Lauren had died from multiple blows to the head. A spokesperson from Greater Manchester Police said that investigations were still continuing to determine the cause of the injuries and said that there did not appear to have been any sexual assault on the schoolgirl.

Police also said that they wished to speak to two boys who were seen playing in the street with Lauren on the Thursday evening before she died.

Alison’s parents Alison Pilkington-Smith and father Glen Smith described Lauren as “a beautiful, lively little girl” and said they were “devastated” by what happened.

Lauren has a brother, Sam, 4, and two sisters, 15-year-old Rebecca and Ciara, who is two-and-a-half.

(KMcA/SP)

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