Fifth murder charge after Exmouth garden death

A fifth man has been charged with murder following the death of a man in Exmouth, police have said.

Devon and Cornwall Police said Ben Helliker, 26, of Halsdon Road in Exmouth had been remanded to appear in front of Exeter Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.

Officers were called at about 00:45 BST on 31 May after a report a man had been assaulted and located in a garden of a property in Ashfield Close.

Emergency services attended the location but, despite best efforts of paramedics, the 24-year-old local man was pronounced dead at the scene having suffered a singe stab wound, police said.

The force said Zac Davies, 23, of Hawthorn Grove, Exmouth; Dylan Chadwick, 23, of Cambourne Avenue, St Helens; Ben Mason, 23, of no fixed abode, Exmouth and Thomas Ward, 24, of Russell Walk, Exeter had been charged with murder and had already appeared in court.

It added: "Two men and a woman have also been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.

"They have been released on police bail while enquiries continue."

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