Derbyshire house fire treated as murder

FOLLOWING on from a previous report on the Derbyshire house fire and explosion on September 20 in which two people died, new information was released two days later.

Police have stated that Shelley Saxton-Cooper’s death is now being treated as murder after a post-mortem examination revealed the woman´s body had been stabbed following the house fire in Derbyshire where she lived with her husband Simon Saxton-Cooper.

The bodies of Shelly and Simon were found in the severely damaged house in Riddings Alferton. It has since been reported that Shelley´s husband Simon may have murdered his wife prior to the explosion.

A source commented: “We believe that Shelley, who was 45 years old, was wounded before the explosion and we are treating her death as murder.”

A post mortem examination on the bodies of the married couple discovered that Mrs Saxton-Cooper died as a result of stab wounds and Mr Saxton-Cooper died from smoke inhalation.