On New Year’s Eve, Police officers followed the report of a suspicious object on the water clambered to Oakwood Pond in Harlow, Essex. The officials then got into the water and surprisingly discovered that the remains found in the water were of Philip Lewis who lived in the area. The officials said that his remains were there for several weeks. According to Det. Sup. Kirby Mr. Lewis a 59 years old man was a resident in Harlow for a long time and was referred to as “Scottish Phil”.
As a part of the investigation, two men have been arrested by the police. The first one is a 52-year-old man Lee Clark of Wedhey, Harlow, and another man aged 23 was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder and has now been released on bail until March. However, the inquiry is still in process. Lee Clark was scheduled to appear at Colchester Magistrates’ court on Monday 9th January.
The head of the Essex major crime, Detective Superintendent Rob Kirby in his statement said: “Quite clearly this is a significant stage in the investigation into the death of Philip Lewis.
“Over the last eight days, we have had a team of dedicated detectives and forensic experts who have pieced together what we believe to be the circumstances around Philip’s death.
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“Of course, that work does not stop at the point of charge and in many ways, this is still the beginning of a complex investigation into the death of a 59-year-old man who was a son and a friend.
“One element of that work continues today as, alongside our partners, we continue to drain Oakwood Pond to allow for further investigation of the area to take place.
“This is being done in the most environmentally friendly way possible and I’d like to pass on my thanks to partners for helping to facilitate this.”
Detective Superintendent Rob Kirby added: “I would continue to appeal to anyone who came into contact with Phillip in any way since 1 November 2022 to come forward. To date, a number of people have come forward and the information they have provided to us has been invaluable.
“Equally, I would like anyone who lives in the areas of Oakwood Pond or the estates coming off Harberts Road, south of Fourth Avenue, and who has CCTV or doorbell video systems to contact us so that we can check it.
“We also want to speak to anyone who regularly visits Oakwood Pond and the surrounding area, who has seen anything suspicious in the last two months.”
Police Officials thus urge people who have any information regarding the murder can contact to a dedicated phone line number on 08000514526. Moreover, a public portal for the incident has also been set up by the officials as a way for the public to submit information. People can also submit reports on the department’s official website by using the online Live Chat service available from Monday to Friday. The incident was quoted as 582 on 31st December.
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