A MAN arrested on suspicion of murder following a fatal stabbing in Cradley Heath has been sectioned under the Mental Health Act.

Police were called to a property in Corngreaves Walk after a man, named locally as Martin Briggs, was found with fatal stab wounds, shortly before midday on Monday (November 13).

Halesowen News:

Martin Briggs. Photo: Facebook

Detectives believe the victim had been killed some time the previous evening.

Before the grim discovery, a 43-year-old had been arrested from a vehicle in an Oldbury car park at 6.20am on Monday morning.

He was arrested on suspicion of three separate assaults involving weapons, including a knife and metal bar, which happened from around 4pm on Sunday (November 12) in Dingle Avenue, West Avenue and Poplar Close.

None of the victims received life threatening injuries and are understood to have known their attacker.

But officers believe the same attacker was responsible for the stabbing in Corngreaves Walk. A spokesman confirmed that he has been detained under the Mental Health Act.

Detective Chief Inspector Edward Foster, said: “I’m appealing for anyone who was in the Corngreaves Walk area at around 6pm on Sunday and saw or heard a disturbance to contact us. They could hold important information.

“We have established a timeline of offences and suspect three people were subjected to nasty assaults involving weapons, including a knife and metal bar, in the space of just over two hours.

“These are understood to be domestic incidents where the suspected attacker is known to the victims; none of the injuries are life-threatening.

“It’s then believed the same attacker stabbed a man in his home in Corngreaves Walk just after 6pm but that his body lay undetected in the house until just before midday the following day.

“Police family liaison officers are supporting the deceased’s family at this tragic time."

Anyone with information is asked to call West Midlands Police on the 101 number.