Three teenagers arrested over Birkenhead bonfire death

Nov 7 2007 by Caroline Innes, Liverpool Daily Post

RESIDENTS last night revealed the shocking details surrounding the death of a 34-year-old Birkenhead man whose body was found in the dying embers of a community bonfire.

Horrified witnesses called the police after claiming Stephen Croft was beaten by a gang of drunken youths – who filmed themselves throwing burning logs at him.

Locals claimed Mr Croft was still alive when he ended up on the bonfire but police refused to confirm the speculation.

His body was later discovered by firefighters after a member of the public reported the blaze.

He was pronounced dead on the field at the junction of Borough Road and Whetstone Lane in Birkenhead, where the community bonfire was held earlier in the evening.

He had suffered head injuries and severe burns.

Last night three youths aged 19, 17 and 13 were being questioned by police in connection with the death.

One local said: “The bloke was quite open with everyone, telling us he was high on mushrooms he’d taken earlier. I saw three lads, aged about 14, talking to him as he sat on the field on his own and then they threw a burning log at him and recorded it on their mobiles.

“He was injured.

“An ambulance came but he refused treatment and they left him, but he was OK at that point.” Witnesses said the man was connected to the local YMCA which helped organise the bonfire.

Another local resident added: “He got into a row with the gang of teenagers.

“The group were all drunk.

“People said they then started battering him and he was thrown onto the bonfire.”

A fire service source said: “We had already been to the scene once last night to put out a bonfire and were called back to reports of a bonfire with a person in it.

“What the crews found was just horrific.”

In total, Merseyside Fire Brigade attended 114 un-official bonfires last night – compared to 153 on November 5 last year.

Tracey Roberts, who lives opposite the scene, said: “Over the night a lot of people stopped to watch but it wasn’t the biggest fire and the fireworks were just what you can buy in any shop.

“It was all over about 10pm and people drifted off home.

“I heard the fire brigade arrive later but not long after the police came too.”

A police spokeswoman said: “The body was badly burnt, but the head injuries the deceased sustained indicate he may have been subjected to some kind of assault before his death.

“We need to build up a picture of what has led to this death, and would appeal to anyone who was in Quarry Bank and Whetstone Lane last night to get in touch.

“We have now completed initial forensic examination of the scene but at this stage we will not speculate about how the victim came to be on the bonfire or whether he was alive or dead when he came into contact with the fire.

“A lot of these questions will be answered by the pathologist when the post mortem results are in.”

* ANYONE with information should contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 or detectives in Birkenhead on 0151 7772265.

carolineinnes@dailypost.co.uk