Neighbours speak of their shock as girl murdered in Calne

Police were called by the ambulance service to a house in Springfield Drive, Calne, shortly before 3.15pm on Friday May 3, where the body of a teenage girl was found.

Despite attempts from the ambulance crew, she was pronounced dead at the scene and shortly afterwards a 17-year-old male was arrested in the Chippenham area on suspicion of murder.

Forensic teams worked at the home with the serious crime squad to retreave evidence ahead of a potential trial throughout Saturday, May 4.

A large part of the estate has been cordorned off by police with residents having to sign in and sign out if they wish to leave or enter their homes near the crime scene.

Close by is a small park where people from the area gathered to watch the police operation and the media on Saturday afternoon.

A group of teenagers said that everyone on the estate knew each other with one saying it was a frightening thought that a girl of a similar could be murdered there on Friday.

A man called John who lives nearby who was walking his dog said: "I feel for the family. This is a nice estate and Calne is a nice town."

Another man who did not wish to be named said he had heard about it on the radio and couldn't believe it as he lives close to the cordoned off area. He simply said he was shocked and felt for the family and friends of the victim.

The same reaction came for more people in the road with the same words of shock and disbelief and a desire for privacy at the same time. Social media was awash with tributes to the unnamed girl with scores of people expressing their sorrow and also shock that a murder could happen in the town.

Through Saturday afternoon police and forensic teams came and went to the property watched by a group of journalists and photographers. It was a surreal scene: a peaceful sunlit estate on a spring day where gardens are neat and new cars are parked on the drives of Springfield Drive. And yet, the grim work of a murder investigation was underway.