Tribute paid to 'legend' as murder suspects bailed

A man who died after a fight in Malvern sparked a murder investigation "dedicated his life to helping others", one of his closest friends said.

Adrian Giles, from Malvern, paid tribute to 52-year-old Paul Hart describing him as "a legend of a man".

"If you met Paul once, you'd never forget him," Mr Giles said. "If you had a hug from Paul, you'd always remember him." He said Mr Hart had run Legacy Moto, a club for bikers in Worcestershire.

Mr Hart has not yet been officially named by West Mercia Police, who on Saturday arrested and later bailed, a man, 25, and a teenage boy, 17, on suspicion of murder and assault.

Part of the town centre was sealed off on Saturday and people were told to avoid the A449, between Queens Drive and Edith Walk.

People who knew Mr Hart have been paying tribute to him on the Legacy Moto Facebook page.

Mr Giles, a co-founder of Legacy Moto, a community group for motorcyclists, said his friend had faced his own challenges in life, including dealing with PTSD, but he had always focused on other people.

"This is a man who was homeless a few years ago, lived in a bus, lived in a borrowed caravan," he said.

"He managed to piece his life together and then spent the rest of his life helping other people – a quite remarkable person."

Mr Giles said he had been left numb with shock at his loss, adding: "I couldn't quite comprehend it. We're still trying to come to terms with it to be perfectly honest."

He said he could not go into the circumstances of how Mr Hart died, but he said: "This is a man who died how he lived, helping other people, attempting to help other people, and that's the double tragedy that we're still trying to comprehend."

On Saturday, police said officers had been called to Belle Vue Terrace where the 52-year-old was found unconscious and taken to Worcestershire Royal Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Det Ch Insp Lee Holehouse appealed for anyone who had any information, including phone, dashcam, doorbell and CCTV footage.

Police officers, some in plain clothes, have been in the area carrying out inquiries.

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