Murder investigation launched after woman's body is found in Bournemouth flat

Officers were called to Richmond Hill at 5am by paramedics. A man had sustained stab wounds to his leg.

During the course of an investigation into the incident, the officers then discovered the body of a woman at a flat in Richmond Gardens.

Her next of kin have yet to be informed. The coroner has been notified.

A post-mortem examination is taking place today and formal ID will take place in due course.

The injured man, who is 20 years old and from Bournemouth, has been arrested on suspicion of murder.

He was taken to hospital where he remained today.

It is understood that the victim and the arrested man were both known to each other.

A full investigation is now underway led by detectives from Dorset Police’s Major Crime Investigation Team (MCIT).

Detective Inspector Richard Dixey, of the MCIT, said: “A full and detailed investigation is now under way to establish the circumstances around the woman's death and our thoughts are with her family at this extremely difficult time.

"Following our initial enquiries, the timings that we are focussing on in particular are between 7.30pm on Saturday evening and 5am on Sunday morning in the area of Richmond Hill, Richmond Gardens and Dalkeith Lane steps. We would like anyone who saw or heard anything suspicious or out of the ordinary to get in touch.

"If you have any information that could assist the investigation, please contact Dorset Police urgently.

“The public can expect to see a continued increased police presence in the area and officers from the Neighbourhood Policing Team can be approached with any concerns," he added.

A cordon remains in place at Richmond Gardens while crime scene investigators examine the scene. 

Officers are also carrying out house-to-house visits and making CCTV enquiries.

Anyone with information should contact police via dorset.police.uk or by calling 101, quoting 8:125.