- Rob Lomas has been named by locals as farmer arrested on suspicion of murder
- Officers were called to Whaley Bridge, in the Peak District, Derbyshire
A farmer who allegedly shot dead a suspected teenage burglar had reported being robbed in another raid the day before, police said last night.
Derbyshire Constabulary confirmed officers had been called to reports of a burglary at the remote Peak District farmhouse at 3.30pm on Tuesday.
They attended the property, on a remote country lane, in Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire, and launched an investigation.
That was ongoing when reports came in of the second raid at the farmhouse less than ten hours later, at around 1.20am the following day.
A police spokesman said they were ‘keeping an open mind’ as to whether the two incidents were linked.
The farmer arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder was named by locals as Rob Lomas, a 50-year-old divorcee
Talented 19-year-old footballer called Marcus Smith was named as the suspected burglar who was shot dead at the Peak District farmhouse in Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire
A former pupil at Chapel-en-le-Frith High School, Mr Smith had played for his local team
Yesterday the farmer arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder was named by locals as Rob Lomas, a 50-year-old divorcee.
They said his alleged victim was a talented 19-year-old footballer called Marcus Smith.
Police found Mr Smith with fatal injuries inside Mosley Hall Farm and another teenager with a gunshot wound seriously hurt on the road outside.
A former pupil at Chapel-en-le-Frith High School, Mr Smith played for Chapel Town FC.
Yesterday his 51-year-old mother Kerry, who is understood to work as a nurse, posted a picture of herself with her son on her Facebook page.
It prompted comments from friends expressing their heartbreak and sympathy. One wrote: ‘We are so shocked and so heartbroken, nothing can express how deeply sorry we are.’
A man who answered the door at Mrs Smith’s home in Chapel-en-le-Frith said she was too upset to comment.
Derbyshire Constabulary confirmed officers had been called to reports of a burglary at the remote Peak District farmhouse at 3.30pm and called to a second raid at 1.20am the next day
Police wearing purple gloves comb the farm outbuildings for evidence at hte remote Peak District farmhouse
Officers cordoned off a large section of Eccles Road and launched a murder inquiry. They arrested the injured teenager, who remains in hospital being treated for serious injuries, on suspicion of aggravated burglary.
Another male, aged in his 20s, was held on suspicion of the same offence after being stopped by armed police as he drove along the A6 near Buxton on Wednesday.
Dramatic video of his arrest, which showed a white BMW being intercepted by several marked and unmarked police vehicles and a man being handcuffed by the roadside, was circulating online yesterday.
Locals living near Mosley Hall Farm said they were stunned. They described Mr Lomas, a former dairy farmer, as ‘not a violent type’ but said the predominantly rural area had been plagued with crime and his farm was particularly vulnerable because it was so isolated.
One woman said that she was ‘surprised’ when she found out Mr Lomas had been arrested, adding: ‘I wouldn’t expect him be caught up in this sort of thing.’
Another said he was looking forward to retiring.
