Quiet night out ends in tragedy as teenager stabbed to death in street

Published on 09/07/2012 00:00

A SCOTTISH teenager was stabbed to death while enjoying a night out with a friend in a picturesque Yorkshire village.

Craig Hepburn, 19, was fatally injured after an argument with a group of men as he walked back to a relative’s house.

Mr Hepburn’s friend, an 18-year-old man, survived the attack but has undergone life-saving surgery.

He was in intensive care last night, but his condition is not thought to be life-threatening. His family, who have travelled south from Scotland, were with him in hospital.

Detective Superintendent Paul Taylor, from the West Yorkshire Police homicide and major inquiry team, said it was believed there had been a dispute between two groups of men.

He said the two friends, from Renfrewshire, were returning to a relative’s house when they were attacked in Marsden, near Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, in the early hours of Saturday.

Mr Hepburn collapsed after suffering multiple knife wounds in a “confrontation” with attackers who, police believe, were probably strangers to the victims.

The surviving teenager was still conscious after the attack and was able to speak a few words to police.

However, Det Supt Taylor said he was not well enough for detectives to question him further, adding that his condition was “poorly”.

Detectives have been carrying out house to house inquiries and studying CCTV footage.

Police are now appealing for anyone with information to come forward.

Det Supt Taylor said: “What happened is still a secret which lies between whoever did this, the dead man, and the man now in surgery who we cannot speak to.

“The two victims are friends who were both down from Scotland visiting relatives and staying in the village for a few days.

“They were having a night out in the village and it looks as if there was a confrontation in the street.

“They had enjoyed the night and were making their way back to the relatives’ house where they were staying for a few days.

“They were just a couple of lads enjoying a night out. The weapon was a knife but we have not found it yet and there may be more than one.

He said it was unlikely the teenagers knew their attackers because “they did not know anyone else in the village”.

“Places like Marsden are small places, close knit communities where everyone knows everyone else,” he said. “We want to hear from anyone with any information.”

Officers were called to the scene after being alerted by an ambulance crew at just after midnight on Saturday.

The attacks are thought to have taken place in the Manchester Road-Town Gate-Old Mount area of the village.

But police are still trying to piece together what happened the minutes leading up to the attack.

Both victims were taken to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary but the 19 year old later died from his injuries.

Det Supt Taylor added: “The 18-year-old remains in hospital in a poorly condition.

“I am keen to speak to anyone who witnesses these assaults. Were you out and about in Marsden late last night or early this morning and saw what happened? If so I need to speak to you urgently.

“Marsden is a close-knit community and if anyone hears any rumours about what has happened then I would ask them to get in touch.”

Two men, aged 36 and 21, have been arrested and are being held in custody.

Marsden is a large village seven miles west of Huddersfield with a population of 4,440.