A 69-year-old woman stabbed to death outside a block of flats in Bournemouth has been named.

Retired PE teacher Rosemary Elaine Armstrong was found dead by police in a driveway in Queensland Road, Pokesdown, last Wednesday afternoon.

As the coroner opened and adjourned an inquest yesterday, confirming the victim died from multiple stab wounds, neighbours paid tribute to the mother-of-three, who was a regular churchgoer and history society member.

Mrs Armstrong, from Salisbury, was known as Elaine, they said.

One resident, who did not wish to be named, had known Mrs Armstrong for 30 years.

One of her three daughters had died aged five, and another lives abroad, she said.

“It was such a shock,” she said. “She was a very forthright person and a good neighbour and most people would know her as a very nice lady.”

Others described Mrs Armstrong as a “private person” who “kept herself to herself”.

Neighbour Cheevin Dodd said: “It is horrific. We were unloading the car after our holiday when one of our neighbours came and told us.”

Dorset Police launched a murder investigation following the incident outside Knightstone Housing Association’s Queensland Lodge, which is home to 10 “vulnerable” residents.

A 39-year-old woman, believed to be Mrs Armstrong’s daughter, was arrested on suspicion of murder and later released on police bail to a secure unit.

Experts are assessing whether she is fit to face criminal proceedings.