Gainsborough murder victim named by police

A man stabbed to death in Gainsborough has been named by police.
Police have launched a murder investigation after a man was stabbed to death at a property on Ropery Road, Gainsborough.Police have launched a murder investigation after a man was stabbed to death at a property on Ropery Road, Gainsborough.
Police have launched a murder investigation after a man was stabbed to death at a property on Ropery Road, Gainsborough.

Officers were called to a house in Ropery Road in the early hours of Monday (August 1), where they found a man with a stab wound injury. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The 44-year-old man has been named as Jonathan Baines, aged 44, known as ‘Willy’ to his friends. Formal identification has not yet taken place but his family have been informed and police are supporting them.

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The victim’s name is being released to encourage people who saw him on Sunday, (July 31), to come forward and contact police.

Detective Inspector Jim Hodgson, from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit, said: “We know that Jonathan spent yesterday afternoon at the Market Rasen races and visited pubs on his return to Gainsborough.

“We don’t know which premises or who he was with, so we urgently want to hear from people who either saw him or spoke to him.”

Residents have since spoke of their “shock” following the murder.

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Trevor Halstead, 58, who owns Gainsborough Cycles on Ropery Road, said: “I am shocked and horrified.

“When a resident told me this morning I was surprised to say the least.

“Nothing like this has happened on Ropery Road since I have been here. It is a nice area. It is not one of the rougher areas of the town. It is a good community.”

Mr Halstead added: “I must admit since I moved to Ropery Road two years ago it has been a totally different area to where I lived before. It is a nice quiet community.

“It will not put people off visiting I would have thought.”

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Fellow resident, Simon King, 62, who lives on nearby Japan Street, said: “I am a bit surprised but these things happen and you have to get on with it.

“It will not put me off coming down here.

“It is a friendly place. People always say ‘hello’ to you.”

A woman who did not want to be named, said: “It is sort of a shock but not surprising. A murder is a bit extreme for here though.”

And a man who also did not wish to be named, said: “I would not have thought something like this would happen around here.”

Anyone with any information is asked to call police on 101, quoting incident 12 of 01/08/16. Alternatively, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”

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