- Five teenagers were in police custody after being arrested in connection with suspected murder of 16-year-old
- Alleged victim is Morgan Huelin, a 16-year-old Victoria College pupil
- Residents in area of Trinity where body was found have spoken of shock
- Staff and pupils at Victoria College have been offered support after tragedy
FIVE teenagers – including at least three Victoria College pupils – were in police custody today after being arrested in connection with the suspected murder of a 16-year-old boy.
The alleged victim – St Lawrence resident Morgan Huelin – was found unconscious on a road in Trinity by a dog-walker at around 9.30 am yesterday.
Three boys – two 16-year-olds and one 15-year-old – all from Victoria College were arrested yesterday at a house metres away from where Mr Huelin was found. Police say all four of the teenagers were known to each other.
And late last night two more boys, both aged 16, were also arrested on suspicion of murder.
Victoria College pupils and staff were today being offered counselling.
Speaking to the JEP, the woman who discovered the alleged victim and phoned the emergency services said two of the suspects were standing near to the boy when she found him.
Up to 24 officers are working on the case – codenamed Operation Emerald – and they have been carrying out searches, house-to-house inquiries and forensic examinations. Phone data and CCTV footage is also being analysed.
At 3 pm yesterday the police called a Multi-Agency Critical Incident briefing at their headquarters in Rouge Bouillon. Senior police officers, staff from the school and members of the Education Department, the Youth Service and Health and Children’s Service attended as they worked on a co-ordinated response.
Two specialist police liaison officers are also supporting the boy’s family and tributes have begun to pour in on social media.
Writing on the JEP’s Faceboook page Tracy Jameson said: ‘Always in our thoughts. Such a lovely young man from a lovely family.’
The dog-walker added that the suspects told her they had been at a house party with the victim.
‘I phoned for an ambulance. The operator was telling me what to do and I was instructing the boys and another member of the public, who had also stopped to help. We were trying to save him,’ she said.
‘He was not breathing, his chest was not moving and there was no pulse.’
Following a press conference yesterday afternoon Detective Chief Superintendent Stewart Gull told the JEP that it was not known how the boy had died.
‘The post-mortem examination is key and I suspect we will need to undertake toxicology work and that is standard. We will not talk about the circumstances he was found in.’
He added: ‘We are treating the death as unexplained and based on the circumstances as they have presented to us the three men have been arrested on the suspicion of murder.’
Det Supt Gull added that ‘if necessary’ officers would conduct interviews with students at the college.
‘We have already had a good response from the public. If we need to speak to any individual we will seek their support. We will work in support of the school in particular on Monday as this is a difficult time for them.’
The police are urging anyone with any information about the incident to contact them on 612612 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
RESIDENTS in the lanes around the crime scene have today told of their shock after discovering that a teenager had died in suspicious circumstances following an alleged incident near their home.
At first many of the residents had little idea of what had happened. Some reported hearing what sounded like a party the previous night. It is still not known whether this was connected to the events leading up to the death.
And even when the police cordon went up, many thought it was little more than a minor crime or car crash.
‘I heard there was a party going on or something like that last night. It was just a bit of noise and I thought nothing more of it,’ said one resident.
Another – a 33-year-old woman – said that she believed there had been a party the night before. ‘I heard men being loud and sounding like they were drunk before I went to bed. It was at about 12.45 am,’ she said.
She thought little of it and suspected nothing out of the ordinary the next day when she noticed that the road next to her house had been closed.
Some of the residents had been spending the morning in the garden, others had taken their dog for a walk and a few had gone surfing, all unaware that a tragedy had unfolded. And they told of their shock when they realised what had happened.
‘You just don’t expect things like that to happen around here. It’s terrible,’ one resident said. Another said that he thought there had just been ‘a minor car accident or something’ when he saw that the roads had been closed opposite his house.
Another resident said that he had seen forensic officers examining the road throughout the day and he described how the police had cordoned off the area.
He said ‘No one was allowed to drive down the closed-off road and they were taking the details of anyone who left or entered the area. Everyone was in total shock, to be honest. It’s normally a very quiet area on a Sunday and you just see lots of people walking their dogs. But there were police cordons at three entry points to the road and they were being very careful about letting people through.
Sunday
9.23 am: An unconscious teenager is discovered by a woman walking her dog in Rue du Becquet Vincent in Trinity.
9.30 am: Two ambulances arrive at the scene and paramedics begin treating the boy.
9.45 am: The Ambulance Service notify the States police of the incident.
9.51: Police arrive at the scene.
9.57 am: Ambulance leaves the scene.
11.02 am: Three boys – two 16-year-olds and one 15-year-old – are arrested on suspicion of murder at a property near to where the boy was found. They are taken to police headquarters for questioning.
12.34 pm: The police announce to the media that a murder inquiry – codenamed Operation Emerald – is underway after the boy was pronounced dead at the Hospital.
3 pm: Senior police officers call a Multi-Agency Critical Incident briefing with staff from Victoria College, the Education Department, the Youth Service, the Health Department and Children’s Service.
5 pm: Detective Chief Superintendent Stewart Gull, the head of crime services, and Detective Inspector Steve Langford, the head of the Criminal Investigation Department who is the leading officer in the case, hold a press conference at the Henry Le Brocq Hall at police headquarters in Rouge Bouillon. The police say that the three suspects remain in custody and they all attend Victoria College with the alleged victim.
8.54 pm: The police announce that a fourth boy, a 16-year-old, has been arrested in connection with the suspected murder.
11.15 pm: A fifth boy, aged 16, is arrested in connection with the suspected murder.
Monday
8.36 am: The victim is named as 16-year-old Morgan Huelin.
ISLANDERS have been paying tribute today to the 16-year-old Victoria College pupil who died yesterday.
Devastated friends of the teenager, who lived in St Lawrence, and members of the public have been offering messages of support following the death.
This morning St Lawrence Constable Deirdre Mezbourian said: ‘We were devastated to learn of the tragic death of Morgan Huelin. We are right behind the family, who are well known in the parish, and will be on hand to offer whatever help we can.’
Tributes to the teenager, who recently attended his school prom, were also posted on social media. Some of those on the JEP’s Facebook page were:
Jaime Boylan: ‘So very, very tragic. Thoughts to the families of all those involved. Especially to the parents and family of such a well-loved young man who has been taken far too soon. RIP Morgan.’
Luisa Nunes Quintal: ‘So very sad and tragic news. Thoughts are with family and friends – RIP young man.’
Tracy Jameson: ‘Always in our thoughts. Such a lovely young man from a lovely family.’
