An elderly guesthouse owner in Northern Ireland has been beaten and stabbed to death in Bangor, Co Down.
William Spence, 68, was discovered in his room at the property early this morning with horrific injuries.
He had lived at the Princetown Road Tara bed and breakfast, which overlooks the seaside town's marina, for over a decade.
Freddy Anderson, a roofer who worked for him, said he had the utmost respect for the victim.
'The last time I spoke to him a year or two ago he was saying that it was getting to the stage where he was thinking of selling the place,' he said.
'I found him a very mild-mannered sort of fella, I never remember anything to do with drinking or anything.
'He was very pleasant and easy to get on with.'
Mr Spence lived on his own but is believed to have a daughter aged in her late 20s or early 30s.
He had resided in the Bangor area for at least 25 years, Mr Anderson added.
The guesthouse was sealed off by police and forensic experts wearing gloves and white boiler suits were combing the area for clues.
The Tara is a mid-terraced, three-storey building painted cream and green.
A forensics tent was put up outside and a red car, believed to belong to the victim, was roped off.
PSNI detective chief inspector Debbie McMaster said: 'It is believed this man was assaulted and stabbed in the early hours of this morning.'
A post-mortem examination was due to be carried out to establish the exact cause of death, she said.
Ms McMaster added: 'As part of our inquiries, the investigation team will be speaking to witnesses who were staying at the guesthouse.
'However, we would like to speak to anyone who was in the area of Princetown Road any time between 10pm last night until 7.30am this morning. You may have seen something or heard something that will help detectives with their inquiries.'
