Two arrested after Calum Davenport stabbing

23 August 2009 12:26
TWO men have been arrested following the attack on West Ham player Calum Davenport and his mother in the early hours of yesterday morning. Davenport, 26, and his 49-year-old mother were both injured in the incident at his mother's home in Bedford and taken to hospital. The footballer, who was a multi-million pound signing and an England Under-21 international, underwent emergency surgery yesterday morning. Neither his nor his mother's injuries were thought to be life-threatening but both were detained in hospital overnight. A spokesman for Bedford Hospital said: "His condition is serious but stable and his mother is in a stable condition." A 25-year-old man was arrested in Derby on suspicion of attempted murder yesterday afternoon and taken to Bedford for questioning, Bedfordshire Police said. A spokeswoman for the force said a 19-year-old man arrested soon after the incident remained in custody at the town's Greyfriars police station. Neighbours on leafy Springfield Avenue described "noisy" scenes before emergency services arrived at the three-bedroomed semi-detached house. Ann Desics, 61, described how she had seen a pool of blood outside the house yesterday morning following an argument in the street. She said: "I knew somebody had been assaulted but I did not know who. When I found out I was really upset and I was not sure if he was going to be all right or not, but I hope he is." Describing the scene, she said: "I was fast asleep in bed - it was still quite dark. I heard all this shouting and hoped they would go by. They did not and it went on. "Then I heard this engine ticking over outside and a vehicle pulled up which turned out to be the ambulance. "I got up to see what was going on and the ambulance was dealing with what I now know is Calum, on the floor, and the other ambulance was dealing with his mother. "Then they whipped him off to hospital. "Police cordoned off the road with tapes. All that was left was a pool of blood in the road so I thought it might be a stabbing but was not sure at the time." Mrs Desics said Davenport's mother, who she knew as Kim, had lived in the house for one year. She said Davenport had bought the property for his mother and he and his sister Cara visited regularly. Another neighbour, who did not wish to be named, said she had also been woken up. "There was a lot of shouting going on," she said. "I heard a bloke say, 'She is the mother of my child'. "There was screaming going on from a woman. She said 'There's blood everywhere'." A woman who answered the door at Davenport's home in Moors View Close, a gated housing complex in the village of Greenfield, south of Bedford, declined to comment. A neighbour, who did not wish to be named, said Davenport lived there with his wife and child and they were "a very nice family". Davenport cost West Ham £3 million when he joined them from Tottenham during the summer of 2007. He did not figure in the east London club's first game of this season, at Wolves last week, and, after struggling to hold down a first-team place, has been linked with a move. The Hammers said the club's thoughts were with the family. A statement added: "The club's medical team are in contact with hospital staff. "The thoughts of everyone at West Ham are with Calum and his family." Bedford-born Davenport spent a spell on loan at Premier League rivals Sunderland last season and has also been loaned out to Watford. The centre-back started his career at Coventry City and has also played on loan at Southampton and Norwich City. :: Anyone with information should call Detective Sergeant Jo Corbyn of Bedford CID on 01234 841212 or Crimestoppers free and anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Source: London_Paper