Man arrested on suspicion of homicide after a grandmother, 68, was stabbed to loss of life in her thatched cottage
A 39-year-old man who was found injured at a thatched cottage where a grandmother was stabbed to death has been arrested on suspicion of murder.
Gilly Livie, 68, was discovered with a knife wound in her neck after emergency services raced to her home in Cheriton, Hampshire, at 10.30am on January 9.
Despite paramedics’ best efforts, she died at the scene.
A man from Alton, who police say was known to Ms Livie, was also at the cottage but was rushed to hospital with ‘life-threatening injuries’ to his neck and leg.
He was on Monday arrested in connection with her death.
The man will stay in hospital until he is well enough to be taken to a police station.
Detectives are still trying to piece together what happened to Ms Livie in their murder investigation. A post-mortem confirmed the stab wound in her neck was what killed her.
The incident has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) as officers had visited the cottage before her death.
One woman who had known the Ms Livie for a decade told the Daily Mail: ‘Gilly has chickens, free range chickens, and I used to get my eggs from her. She was a lovely woman.
Gilly Livie, 68, was found with a stab wound in her neck at her thatched cottage in Cheriton, Hampshire at 10.30am on January 9
Ms Livie was a beloved grandmother and a keen runner, who kept chickens at her Hampshire home
A 39-year-old man from Alton, known to Ms Livie, was found with wounds in his neck and leg and rushed to hospital. He has been arrested on suspicious of murder
‘She was very friendly. I knew her just a little bit but it is just devastating. It’s so awful. She was very gentle, very kind.
‘The whole village is shocked. Everyone here is so friendly and you know you could stop anyone in this village if you needed to talk to someone about anything. So we are very lucky.
‘It is a life cut short in the most horrendous fashion.’
The woman added: ‘I had been talking to a friend outside my house when it had happened and we didn’t know what had happened but we saw police cars going through, then we saw a police helicopter and then there were sirens.
‘I presumed it was a road accident, somewhere in the village and I thought someone was not having a very good day and did not think much more of it until we heard the awful news about Gilly.’
Police have said they do not believe there is a ‘wider threat or risk to the local community’, but have asked anyone with CCTV or dashcam footage in Cheriton between the hours of 11pm on January 8 and 11am the following day to come forward.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight constabulary said on Monday: ‘Detectives have made an arrest in connection with the death of 68-year-old Gilly Livie in Cheriton.
‘We were called to an address off the B3046 at around 10.30am on Friday 9 January.
‘Gilly was found inside the address with serious injuries. Despite the best efforts of attending officers and our colleagues in the ambulance service, she was pronounced dead at the scene.
‘A post-mortem confirmed that Gilly died as a result of a stab wound to the neck.
‘Specialist officers continue to support her family.
‘Officers also located a 39-year-old man at the address.
‘He had what were initially described as life-threatening injuries and was taken to hospital for treatment.
‘Today, officers arrested the man on suspicion of murder. The man, from Alton, will remain in hospital for treatment until he is well enough to be taken to a police station.’
Inspector Stuart Ross from the Winchester, Hants, district said: ‘Detectives continue to work hard to find out exactly what happened to Gilly.
‘We would like to thank the local community in Cheriton for their patience while we carried out our initial enquiries.
‘I would like to reiterate that we do not believe there is any wider threat or risk to the local community.
‘If people do have any further information that they think may help our investigation, then please contact us.’
