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Murder arrests after aggravated burglary victim dies

Avon and Somerset Police Stephen Ridgeway wearing a black t-shirt underneath a blue jumper. He has short black curly hair and is smiling at the camera. He is standing in front of a white wall which has a decorative plate and a picture frame displayed on it.Avon and Somerset Police
Stephen Ridgeway, pictured above, died in hospital weeks after the home invasion

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a man died following an aggravated burglary.

Stephen Ridgeway, 72, previously told police he answered the door of his home on Tenby Road in Keynsham, near Bristol, in the early hours of Sunday 3 November.

Two intruders then forced their way inside, assaulted him, and stole items including alcohol and mobile phones. Mr Ridgeway's condition worsened and he died in hospital on 7 November.

A man in his 30s and another man in his 40s were both arrested on Tuesday but have since been released after questioning. The investigation continues.

A house on the corner of a residential street. It is a two floor home with sandstone coloured bricks on the side and a small window, and a plastered frontage. There is a police officer guarding the front door. In the foreground there is a large hedge which separates the home from the pavement and road.
The two intruders forced their way into Mr Ridgeway's home after he answered the door in the middle of the night

The case is currently being treated as murder by the Major Crime Investigation Team (MCIT), after the preliminary findings of a post-mortem examination were that the injuries contributed to his death.

Avon and Somerset Police say enquiries are continuing and will be led by Det Ch Insp James Wasiak of MCIT.

He said: "If you were in the Tenby Road area of Keynsham between midnight and 3am that Sunday, 3 November, or have any footage of the area at the time, please contact us.

"This is very much an ongoing investigation and any information, however seemingly insignificant, could help us understand what happened that night."

The force has urged anyone with information or CCTV or dashcam footage which might aid their investigation to come forward.

Mr Wasiak added that the team has found no evidence of a wider risk to the community.

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