Four held in hunt for OAP murderer

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Amid calls for the hostel to be closed down, the men, aged between 21 and 37, were arrested at Elderfield House hostel in Otterbourne, near Winchester, Hampshire, on Monday morning, police said.

They are being quizzed in connection with the murder of 77-year-old Georgina Edmonds, who was found dead at her home 500 yards from the hostel. Mrs Edmonds was discovered by her son, Harry, and a family friend when he returned home from work on Friday.

The popular pensioner lived in a cottage in the grounds of her son's home, and a post-mortem examination found she died from head injuries.

Police descended on Elderfield House at about 7.40am on Monday morning and detained the men aged 21, 28, 36 and 37.

All day an intensive examination of the buildings took place with forensic officers combing the grounds.

Detective Chief Inspector Paul Barton, who is leading the investigation, said that the arrests were only one part of the inquiry and said detectives were keeping an "open mind".

"This is a large scale investigation with more than 120 police officers involved. A number of lines of inquiry are being pursued and forensic examinations are taking place following the arrests," he said.

Elderfield House is a "moving on" church charity run hostel for ex-offenders wanting to rebuild their lives after prison but local people have longed campaigned for it to close saying the occupants cause trouble and come and go as they please.

As news of the arrest came to light, Liberal Democrat MP for Winchester, Mark Oaten, called for the hostel to be closed down if the killers of Mrs Edmonds were found to be based there. He said: "If these arrests were to lead to charges against individuals at Elderfield then with regret I think I would find it hard to continue to support the hostel remaining in my constituency. I don't wish to make a knee-jerk reaction but as the local representative for the community I have to put safety first."