Basildon murder: Terrified victim knocked on front doors shouting 'help me, I've been stabbed' after fight with youths

Police were called to the scene in Basildon, Essex at 9.30pm last night after reports of a man with serious injuries

A man fatally stabbed after a row with a gang of youths knocked on front doors screaming: "help me, I've been stabbed".

A murder investigation was launched last night after the man in his 40s was stabbed to death in Caister Drive, Basildon, at about 9.30pm.

Police say the man in his 40s was involved in an altercation with a group of about five youths.

Neighbours today said the terrified victim was banging on doors of nearby flats after he was attacked.

Carole Crisp, 56, who was the first person to find the man, said: "I was at home and my buzzer went. I didn't answer it but it kept going, so I did.

"It was him and he just said: 'Help me, I've been stabbed. I ran downstairs and I could see he was hurt and there was blood everywhere.

"The lady who lives below me is a paramedic, so she came out.

"I cut the man's clothes to reveal the wounds and she did what she could until the ambulance came.

He had been stabbed in the side and arm."

She added: "There was no warning to it. I didn't hear any arguments or any shouting. The first I knew something had happened was when my buzzer went.

"We did what we could, but he was in a very bad way."

Neighbours say they were re-routed from their usual route to the nearby Northlands Infant and Nursey School and Junior School this morning because blood was found near to a children's play area.

A mum-of-two, who was this morning watching the police action unfold, said: "You do get youths and kids hanging around that play area and unfortunately, all it would probably take is for this man to go out there and either ask them to keep the noise down or to ask them to stop doing drugs near to where kids are and this might happen.

"Knife crime is really bad round here and we always said 'it's happening around us, sooner or later, it's going to happen close to home', and sure enough here we are."

She added: "We heard he came back round to this street and two women came out to help him because there was blood everywhere.

"It must have been them who called the emergency services. The first we knew of it was the blue lights coming round here, so I don't think it happened in the street as we all would have heard an altercation that big, you know?"

Another man, a dad-of-one, added: "The first we knew about it was when the ambulance and police turned up.

"I don't think it was a case of these youths walking about picking fights, because we would have heard it.

"I think something has happened around the corner, whether it's him telling them where to go or asking them to keep quiet, you just don't know.

"I've been told it happened around the corner near to a play area, where there is blood.

"We weren't able to take the usual route to school because of it."

The victim was taken by air ambulance to Basildon Hospital but died from his injuries.

Detective Chief Inspector Simon Werrett, of Essex Police, said: "I would appeal for anyone who saw the attack to contact my team.

"This happened in a residential area so people would have been about."