Colchester: Distillery Lane murder investigation

Detectives investigating the death of a man in Colchester are appealing for help to find a phone handset which we believe will hold evidence in relation to the case.

On Monday 12 September an investigation was launched into the death of a man in Distillery Lane in Colchester. The victim has since been formally identified as 22-year-old Bako Azad Sheikha.

Since then, officers from Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate have carried out multiple enquiries.

These enquiries resulted in a man being charged with murder on 15 September, three days after the investigation launched.

Rakar Rahimi, 22, of no fixed abode, appeared in Colchester Magistrates’ Court a day later and is due to appear at Chelmsford Crown Court on 11 November.

Detectives are continuing to piece together the circumstances around Bako’s death and believe there to be a telephone outstanding and we would like to locate it as quickly as possible to help with our enquiries.

The phone is an Apple iPhone 11 of an unknown colour, and we believe it may have been discarded on the A12 between Colchester and Ipswich between 8.30am and 9.15am on September 12.

Detective Chief Inspector Ant Alcock, who is leading our investigation, said:

“The work of the investigating team does not stop at the point of charge, and we work incredibly hard to leave no stone unturned and present clear and specific evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service for use throughout the court proceedings.
“As part of our enquiries, we believe there is a phone outstanding which we would like to locate.
“We believe it was discarded on the A12 between Colchester and Ipswich between 8.30am and 9.15am on September 12. I would appeal to anyone who stopped in a layby on the road and perhaps saw an iPhone or has even picked it up to get in touch with us.
“We would like to locate it as quickly as possible. We believe it will help us to pursue a number of lines enquiries.”

If you have any information, CCTV, dash cam or other footage in relation to this incident, then please get in contact with us.

You can let us know by submitting a report online or by using our Live Chat service.

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Alternatively you can call us on 101.

To find out more about the different reporting services visit our 'Help Us Help You' webpage. 

If you would like to make an anonymous report you can contact independent charity Crimestoppers, by visiting their website or by calling 0800 555 111.

Please quote incident 82 of 12 September when providing any information to make sure it gets to the right person as quickly as possible.

We are continuing to engage with the Kurdish community, across Essex as part of an ongoing murder investigation in Colchester.

This afternoon, Monday 26 September, Detective Chief Inspector Antony Alcock met with key members of the Kurdish community in Colchester.

It comes after an investigation was launched on Monday 12 September into the death of a man in Distillery Lane, Colchester. The victim has since been formally identified as 22-year-old Bako Azad Sheikha.

The meeting was to thank the members of the community who have supported the investigation so far as well as to gauge the impact that Mr Azad Sheikha’s death has had on the community.

Since the investigation was launched, officers from Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate have carried out multiple enquiries, including reviewing hours of CCTV and speaking to over dozens of individuals and witnesses.

These enquiries resulted in a man being charged with murder on 15 September, three days after the investigation launched. Rakar Rahimi, 22 of no fixed abode, has been charged with murder and since been remanded.

Senior Investigating Officer DCI Antony Alcock said: “First and foremost, this was about me giving my personal thanks to the Kurdish community, both in Colchester and further afield. Their willingness to come forward and speak to us as a result of the incident on Monday 12 September has been absolutely critical to our investigation.
“We have been very aware from the beginning, that this death has shocked the Kurdish community across Suffolk and Essex.
“The news of Bako’s death spread so quickly within the Kurdish community, who then became an integral part of our investigation, assisting us with multiple enquiries and I would like to thank those who we have spoken to, for their help so far.
“We have received support from our colleagues at Suffolk Police, due to the connections to Ipswich with this investigation. Our Major Incident Public Portal (MIPP) was set up in both English and Kurdish, extending the opportunity for anyone with any information to contact us.
“Investigations don’t just stop at the point of charge, and we continue to have a number of officers working on this case to ensure justice for Bako’s family. We are continuing to appeal to anyone who may want to talk to us to get in contact, no matter how small the information may seem."

Following collaborative work from Essex Police, Port of Dover Police and Kent Police, a man was arrested last night in Dover on suspicion of murder.

The arrest forms part of the investigation into the death of a man in Colchester in the early hours of Monday 12 September.

We were called to Distillery Lane in the Hythe area in Colchester shortly before 2am following reports of a man being serious injured. Despite best efforts of emergency services and members of the public who were on scene, the man was sadly declared dead.

Last night, Kent Police and Port of Dover Police assisted our officers by arresting a man on suspicion of murder, in connection with this investigation.

A 22-year-old man of no fixed address remains in custody.

Enquiries into the death of this man continue but the scene in the area has now been stood down, with no more cordons in place.

Detective Chief Inspector Antony Alcock, from Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate said:

“This has been a fast-paced investigation so far, with an arrest being made in another county, less than 24 hours after the initial call came in.
“We are continuing to carry out multiple enquiries, including speaking to potential witnesses and reviewing hours of CCTV to piece together what has happened. We believe that the arrested man and the victim were known to each other and that this was an isolated incident.
“We will continue our efforts and I encourage anyone who may have any further information to contact us and assist with our investigation.
“Although formal identification has not yet taken place, we are now in the position to confirm that the victim, who was in his early 20s, was from the Kurdish community. We believe he had connections to several Kurdish communities in areas including Suffolk. We would welcome further contact with those communities and are eager to provide support wherever it is required.
“We are working with our partner agencies to make sure we are speaking with anyone who can help us with this investigation and urge anyone who hasn’t spoken to us, to get in contact.”

Chief Inspector Rob Huddleston, Colchester District Commander, said:

“We know incidents such as this will naturally cause concern within the community.
“Thankfully, these incidents are extremely rare and do not show the Colchester community spirit that I know as district commander.
“Over the weekend, we saw the community in Colchester coming together at various events to commemorate Her Majesty The Queen and to celebrate the King. These events showed the true spirit of Colchester.
“We work along with all our partners to ensure that Colchester is a safe place to live, work and visit. We will have policing presence in the Hythe area and indeed throughout the community in the coming days in order to reassure our residents.
“Those officers are there for you, so if anyone has concerns, please speak to them and they will be happy to help you.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to appeal to anyone who has information on the incident but has not yet spoken to us to please get in touch.”

We are currently investigating the death of a man in Colchester in the early hours of this morning. 

We were called to Distillery Lane shortly before 2am this morning (12 September) following reports of a man sustaining serious injuries. Despite efforts of emergency services at the scene, the man was sadly declared dead. 

Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate have launched a murder investigation in relation to this incident and no arrests have been made at this stage.  

Officers remain at the scene and Distillery Lane is partially shut.

Detective Chief Inspector Antony Alcock from Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate said:

"We are working hard to establish what has occurred in the early hours of this morning.
"So far, we have spoken to a number of residents who have been assisting us with our enquiries.
"We encourage anyone in the area, who may have witnessed anything suspicious last night into the early hours of this morning, to contact us.
"We also ask that anyone living in that proximity, who may have any CCTV or dashcam footage, to review it and contact us, to help us piece together what has happened.
"We will remain on scene and there is likely to be a high police presence in the area over the next couple of days."