Jerry Appicella death: Three girls arrested on suspicion of Denaby murder

Mr Appicella’s body was found in a property on Craganour Place at around 9.45am on Sunday after officers responded to calls over concerns for his welfare.

Police said "three juvenile females" - all under the age of 18 - from Doncaster had been arrested this morning (Tuesday) on suspicion of murder and remained in police custody.

A post-mortem carried out yesterday revealed Mr Appicella died as a result of head injuries, said a police spokeswoman.

It is believed that Mr Appicella had been involved in an altercation with a group of people on Tuesday, December 3 in an alleyway leading to Hickleton Street in Denaby, she added.

Enquiries suggest he then walked to his home address where his body was found last weekend.

Senior Investigating Officer Simon Palmer: “The death of Mr Appicella has naturally caused a great deal of distress and concern within what is a close-knit community.

“I would like to reassure people living in Denaby and the wider Doncaster area that our investigation is progressing at speed and we are committed to identifying those responsible for Mr Appicella’s death.

“We believe that Mr Appicella was involved in an altercation with a group of people prior to his death.

"We are carrying out active enquiries to trace members of that group who we believe were a mix of males and females of a variety of ages.

“I would urge anyone with information which might help us piece together the circumstances around Mr Appicella’s death to contact us.

“We believe that this was a targeted attack and that there is no wider risk to the community.

“If you live in Denaby and the surrounding area, you might be seeing more of our officers than usual; they are there for your reassurance. If you have any questions or concerns, please speak to our officers, they will be happy to listen.

“I’d like to reassert that this is an active enquiry, please be mindful of what you are posting on social media and if you have any information that might be useful, please contact us.”

Please contact 101 with any information quoting incident number 422 of December 14.

People can also report online via the public portal at https://mipp.police.uk/operation/14SY19A05-PO1

Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously via their website Crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling their UK Contact Centre on 0800 555 111.