Appeal to garden murder witnesses

Luke Campbell was found dead in a garden alongside a railway track

Police investigating the murder of a 20-year-old university student in Dorset have urged five potential witnesses to contact them.

Luke Campbell, from Belper in Derbyshire, was found stabbed in the garden of a house in Boscombe in Bournemouth, on Saturday.

Five people seen in the area the night before could have important information, detectives believe.

They said they were keeping an open mind as to the motive for the murder.

Officers want to trace five people thought to have been in the area around St Clement's Road and Cleveland Road on Friday evening.

Two white men in their early 20s were seen by a bench in St Clement's churchyard at about 2030 GMT talking loudly, drinking alcohol and smoking, Dorset Police said.

One of them was sitting on the bench and the other, who may have been wearing a red jacket, was standing next to it.

Murder squad detectives also want to speak to a man and a woman seen walking nearby at 2025 GMT and a person who was using a telephone kiosk in the area.

These five people are being treated as potential witnesses and not suspects - they have nothing to fear in coming forward Det Ch Insp Neil Redstone

Det Ch Insp Neil Redstone said: "These five people are being treated as potential witnesses and not suspects - they have nothing to fear in coming forward.

"It is important that they come forward as a matter or urgency because they may have important information that could assist in the investigation to find Luke's killer.

"We are keeping an open mind as to the motive for Luke's murder."

Mr Campbell, known as Luka to friends, was a first-year student on a BSc (Hons) in Software Systems at Bournemouth University.

He had moved to Bournemouth during the summer ready to start his four-year degree course and was living in St John's Road in Boscombe.

He was found dead at the bottom of a communal garden behind the semi-detached property, which has been converted into several flats.

His body was found by a passerby. Post-mortem tests revealed he died from a stab wound to the chest.

On Tuesday, a green Apollo Awesome BMX bike, thought to be Mr Campbell's, was found off Churchill Road, near to where his body was discovered.