Grieving family's tragic journey

A GRIEVING family has today made a sad and desperate journey across Europe to take home the body of a loved one.

The relatives of the woman - found dead at a block of flats near Ipswich waterfront - were met by police after landing in England before they were taken to the mortuary to identify their loved one.

It would have been a visit to England they had never planned to make under such tragic circumstances.

The woman, understood to be called Gosia, was Polish, one of thousands of immigrants who have made the county town their home and formed a thriving community.

Her death has sent a shockwave through the town, with residents today expressing their sadness.

Police are still questioning a 37-year-old man on suspicion of her murder - he has been held at Ipswich police station since being arrested at tea-time on Friday.

Officers were present all weekend at the block of flats in Duke Street, where the woman's body was found.

On the second floor, a solitary floral tribute had been poignantly placed in a corridor near where she was found, a message inside a card written in Polish.

The woman's family were due to arrive in Suffolk from Poland last night ready for the grim task of identifying her body and possibly to begin making preparations to take her home.

Police will not be releasing her name until this has happened and all of her next of kin have been informed.

A police pod is stationed outside the flats to reassure residents, while detectives and scenes of crime officers have been in one of the flats and a stairwell area of the building carrying out further forensic investigations.

Residents said everyone was still reeling from the shock.

One man, who asked not to be named, said: “There is a great feeling of sadness - it's not something you expect to happen where you live.

“It's been a real shock and people feel choked up.”

Yesterday morning, South East Suffolk Magistrates' Court granted police a further 36 hours to question the suspect. The custody time limit runs out at 9pm today.

Police were called to the flats at 12.40pm on Friday following reports that a woman had been found collapsed with injuries.

When police officers and paramedics got to the scene the woman was dead and had head injuries and other wounds to her body.

- Would you like to pay tribute to the woman? Call the newsdesk on 01473 324790, e-mail starnews@eveningstar.co.uk or write to newsdesk, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN.