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Anniversary appeal to club goers after man's death

Northumbria Police

10 December 2007


Visitors to a popular north east nightspot are being asked to help detectives piece together the final hours of murder victim David Charlton.
David, aged 41, from Cramlington, was found unconscious at the foot of the stairs at Grey's Nightclub, Newcastle, in the early hours of Saturday, September 15. He had suffered serious head injuries and died in Newcastle General Hospital the following day.
Although initially it appeared that David had fallen down the stairs accidentally, subsequent enquiries concluded that the circumstances surrounding his death were suspicious. Two men were arrested on suspicion of murder and have been bailed until December pending further enquiries.
Today, four weeks afer David's death, the detective leading the murder investigation has renewed his appeal for witnesses.
Detective Chief Inspector Mark Anastasi said: "We've traced a number of witnesses but we still need to establish what was happening in the club that night and how David came to be lying unconscious at the foot of the stairs."
There are believed to have been around 80 to 150 people in the club that night, but only a handful have come forward. This is possibly because many nightclub-goers may have been visiting the city from outside the area, so may not have seen the local appeals for witnesses.
DCI Anastasi said: "We're asking people to think back to that weekend in September - were you in Newcastle? Did you visit Grey's Nightclub on the evening of Friday, September 14? Did you see David either before or after he was found at the foot of the stairs? You may have seen something which could be of vital importance to the investigation team, so please get in touch."
Anyone with information can speak to detectives in confidence by contacting the Major Incident Room at Byker police station on 08456 043 043 ext 62833, or by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.David Charlton was a constuction supervisor with Skanska UK, who lived with his fiancee, Alison, and her five-year-old son at their home in Cramlington. He was from a close knit family, the youngest of six with five older sisters.
One of his sisters, Mrs Denise Gomersall, said on behalf of all the family: "Words cannot express the devastation felt by Alison and David's family.
"We are ordinary people, we never dreamt something like this would happen to us. This could have happened to anyone that night, unfortunately for us it happened to our precious only brother. On behalf of his whole family I would like to appeal to anyone who has any information, no matter how small, to contact the police. We wouldn't want the pain we are feeling to happen to any other family."
She describes David as a 'loving, caring, gentle man' who put his family first.
"He had an ability to make you feel safe and loved. He had a generous heart, was full of fun with a wonderful sense of humour and was popular with everyone. Those who were fortunate to know him, loved him and spoke very highly of him.
"He loved the outdoor life and enjoyed golf, fishing trips and watching Newcastle United play. He comes from a hard working and close family who loved him dearly. His family recently celebrated his and Alison's engagement and everyone was looking forward to their imminent move to their new home, which was cruelly halted by David's untimely death.
"David had never been in any trouble with the police. He was a construction supervisor for 12 years, working on various building projects which took him all over the UK. He was a highly regarded member of the team, conscientous and liked by everyone - a job was never done until it was done right.
"We would like to thank the police for their efforts and we're hoping this appeal will result in more people coming forward to find out what happened to David. We would also like to thank everyone for their kindness, understanding and support."
Anyone with information can speak to detectives in confidence by contacting the Major Incident Room at Byker police station on 08456 043 043, ext 62833, or ring Crimestoppers 0800 555 111.