Murder arrest over death of widow, 86, in 2013

A man has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of an 86-year-old widow who was found dead at her bungalow in 2013.

Una Crown was lying in a pool of blood surrounded by burnt newspaper in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, on 13 January.

Detectives investigating her death have arrested a 69-year-old man from Wisbech.

Cambridgeshire Police said the man was detained earlier and was taken into custody at Thorpe Wood Police Station in Peterborough.

Officers were called to Mrs Crown's home in Magazine Lane after her niece's husband found her in the hallway.

Magazine Lane, Wisbech — Image caption,

Una Crown was found dead at her home in Magazine Lane

She had been seen alive two days beforehand and had spoken to a friend over the phone at about 17:00 GMT the day before her body was discovered.

Una Crown and Jack Crown — Image caption,

Una Crown, pictured with her late husband Jack, lived alone in her bungalow

Two attending police officers initially concluded the death was not suspicious, believing Mrs Crown's clothing had accidentally caught fire from a faulty hob ring and she had then tried to put it out with a tea towel, panicked and died from a heart attack.

However, a post-mortem examination concluded Mrs Crown died from stab wounds to her neck and chest and a murder inquiry was launched two days after the discovery of her body.

A spokesman for Cambridgeshire Police said several arrests had been made over the years in connection with Mrs Crown's murder, but no-one had ever been charged.