A52 Bingham: Major road remains shut as murder inquiry continues

The A52 has been shut in both directions

A major road where a man died after police pulled over his car as part of a murder investigation remains closed.

The A52 Bingham bypass in Nottinghamshire has been shut since Thursday morning, when armed officers stopped the vehicle.

After the car stopped, police found the driver, 46, had a serious head injury and he died at the scene.

His death is being linked to an inquiry prompted by the discovery of a man's body in a field in Leicestershire.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said a non-police issue firearm was discovered in the Mazda Temura.

The watchdog said it had launched an investigation after being notified about the incident by Leicestershire Police.

The force said officers gave first aid to the man but he was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after 00:30 GMT on Thursday.

The man was pulled over by officers investigating the death of another man found in a field in Plungar

It came after a man, in his 40s, was found dead in an area off Highgate Lane, Plungar, on Tuesday afternoon.

A 56-year-old man from Grantham, Lincolnshire, was arrested on suspicion of murder and was later released while inquiries continue.

A cordon remains in place along the A52 after a 13.6-mile (21.8km) stretch of the road was shut between the A46 in Saxondale and the A1 in Grantham.

National Highways initially said the stretch of the A52 remained shut and was "expected to remain closed until at least 12:00" on Friday.

A spokesperson has now said the closure is likely to be in place "through the afternoon/evening".

The IOPC said the coroner had been informed following the driver's death.

A statement added: "We have since declared an independent investigation, and that will consider the circumstances of the police involvement.

"Initial accounts have been provided by officers involved and we have also gathered police bodyworn footage for review."

Leicestershire Police has renewed their appeal for witnesses and information in connection with the Plungar murder investigation.

Analysis

By Jeremy Ball, social affairs correspondent

There are still a lot of unanswered questions about what happened on the A52 Bingham bypass.

The IOPC cannot give us more answers until there has been a post-mortem examination.

We are now waiting to hear whether the man's head injury was caused by a gunshot. Another possible scenario is an impact from a car crash.

The official statement suggests there is no evidence a police weapon was used, because the IOPC usually makes it clear if an officer has fired a shot.

The driver was stopped a day after a different man was arrested in Grantham, as part of the same murder investigation. He has been released under investigation.

We are expecting to hear more details when an inquest opens next week.

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