Dead man in Gosport murder probe named (From Daily Echo)
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Dead man in Gosport murder probe named
8:03pm Monday 29th October 2012 in News
By Patrick Knox, Senior Reporter
A MAN found dead in a Gosport flat has been named by police.
David Michael Sharland, 48, of St Vincent Road, Gosport, is believed to have been taking illegal drugs with two other men before dying at a flat in Williams Close.
Police are treating Mr Sharland’s death as "suspicious".
The other two men, aged 40 and 43 and from Gosport, were arrested on suspicion of murder after Mr Sharland’s death on Saturday night.
They were later bailed pending further inquiries.
A Hampshire police spokesman said: “The death is being treated as suspicious in the initial stages of the investigation so evidence can be secured promptly for further lines of enquiry.
“Detectives are focused on enquiries into the possibility that all three men had been using drugs in the hours before the 48-year-old’s death.
“Police are aware of rumours suggesting officers have been searching for a weapon in relation to the death. These rumours are not correct. Officers have been examining the area, including nearby waste bins, for any evidence of drugs use.”
A post mortem by a Home Office pathologist on Sunday was inconclusive.
Toxicology tests are now to be carried out to check the level of drugs and alcohol in his system.
His next-of-kin and the coroner for Portsmouth and south-east Hampshire have been informed of his death.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Operation Hillside team at Fratton police station on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
