Two men held over organist’s murder

DETECTIVES investigating the murder of a church organist in Sheffield have arrested two men on suspicion of murder.

Alan Greaves, 68, of High Green, Sheffield, died after sustaining severe head injuries while walking to a church service on Christmas Eve.

He died from his injuries in hospital two days later.

South Yorkshire police said two men, one in his 20s and one in his 40s, had been arrested.

Greaves, a father-of-four, was found on a pavement near his home on Greengate Lane with a head injury at about 11.15pm on Monday night.

He had been making his way to St Saviour’s Church to play the organ at the Midnight Mass service.

Detectives said the motive for the assault was not known.

A spokesperson for South Yorkshire Police said: “Officers are searching a number of properties in the area and there has been a high-visibility police presence in High Green today.”

Police are still appealing for witnesses to come forward with any information about the murder.

The Reverend Canon Simon Bessant, from St Saviour’s Church, yesterday described the attack as a “random” act of “senseless violence” and said Greaves’ wallet had not been taken and the level of violence used was hard to imagine.

Bessant, who worked closely with Greaves and his wife Maureen, said he had been surprised when he did not arrive for the midnight service.

He said: “This doesn’t make any sense. Why can’t someone walk down the streets on Christmas Eve? I find it hard to imagine why someone should be walking the streets on Christmas Eve with some sort of weapon to cause terrible harm. That is what makes it so senseless.”