Update: Reassurance from senior officer as murder investigation continues

A senior police officer came today to reassure a rural community shaken by a murder investigation.

Mother-of-three Clair Ablewhite, 47, was found dead after officers were called to the Hall Lane property, Colston Bassett, shortly before 6.30pm on Saturday February 26. She was stabbed in the attack, which reportedly took place on Friday evening or in the early hours of Saturday morning.

A 48-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder but has now been released under investigation as inquiries continue.

Deputy Chief Constable Rob Griffin, who has years of experience investigating murder and serious crime during his career with Nottinghamshire Police, has been liaising closely with detectives leading the investigation and kept abreast of all investigative leads.

“My instincts and experience tell me that at this point there is certainly no cause for alarm more broadly in the community,” he said.

“My thoughts are very much with Clair’s family and specially trained officers will continue to work closely with them as the investigation progresses.

“I fully understand how shocked an incident like this will be to the local community, which is a very quiet rural area where violent crime, especially of this nature, is extremely rare. But I want to reassure people on the causes the investigation to move at a steady pace with a team of experienced detectives following a number of leads.

“As you would expect, we have deployed a huge amount of specialist resources in this area from Nottinghamshire and the region.

“Local residents can expect to see plenty of police in the area – uniformed officers and detectives.

“The investigation is still in its early stages, but a lot of activity is ongoing and many lines of inquiry are being pursued, including CCTV, forensic examinations and searches, and we are talking to many people who provide very useful information. it helps us to piece together what happened.”

ACC Griffin added that he believes there may still be people who have not yet come forward who may have information that could help the investigation.

“Were you in and around the area on Friday evening and in the early hours of Saturday? he said. “If you knew Clair, did she confide or share anything with you that might be relevant? If you have any information, even if you think it might not be relevant, let us know. for we will leave no stone unturned.”

Anyone with information is asked to call 101, quoting incident number 669 of 26 February 2022, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Individuals can also report information via an online portal, here https://mipp.police.uk/operation/33EM22E38-PO1