Alan Wood

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

lincolnshire-police

Offense Location:

Lound, Lincolnshire

Summary:

Alan Wood, 50, was bound and tortured before being killed at his home in Lound, Lincolnshire, in October 2009. His body was found three days later in his home in Edenham Road on 24 October. The case remains unsolved; no one has been convicted of his murder.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Offense:

He was last seen alive on 21 October 2009 at his local pub the Willoughby Arms, in the nearby village of Little Bytham. It was established that Alan had last been seen alive on Wednesday 21st October 2009, where he was confirmed by CCTV as shopping in the Morrison's supermarket in nearby Stamford that afternoon. He was also confirmed as to having visited his local pub, The Willoughby Arms, on his way back from here. He shared a drink and a conversation with bar staff and left at about 6:30pm. This was the last time Alan was seen alive, except for by his killer(s), so detectives had an unaccounted window of about 65 hours from Alan last being seen alive to his body being discovered. Police believe he was killed during the evening of 22 October and was tortured for the PINs to his bank and credit cards. His hands had been bound with sellotape and he had been stabbed repeatedly in the head. Detectives think these wounds were inflicted to torture Alan, possibly to give up his bank card pin numbers. Alan's throat was then cut - the fatal injury. It is believed that the most disturbing element of the attack came after Alan's death - a deep wound to the back of his neck suggested an attempted decapitation. Early in the morning of Saturday 24th October 2009, a friend and co-worker of Alan's arrived at his Manor House for a visit. However, the friend was dismayed and perhaps a bit disturbed to find both the front and back door wide open, and no response from calling out for Alan. Feeling apprehensive, the friend contacted Alan's landlord, who arrived at the property to investigate further, and together the two entered the bungalow. What they found was later described as being the most horrific crime scene ever witnessed in Lincolnshire police history.

Additional Details:

In October 2009, Alan Wood was 50-years-old and lived alone in Manor Lodge, Edenham Road in Lound. He had previously been married to Joanne Wood but the couple had separated some six years earlier, although they remained on good terms. He worked hard, running a small gardening business and topping up his income by joining Sainsbury's in Bourne in 2006 to work night shifts - he reportedly enjoyed the comradery amongst the night team, and was very well-liked and respected amongst his colleagues. Alan's mother, Maureen, and sister, Janice, lived a short distance away in Stamford, to the south-west of Lound. His other sister, Sylvia, had emigrated to France some years earlier. Mr Wood's bank cards were used at cash points in Bourne and Stamford in the days after his murder. During a trawl of CCTV footage, police found an image of the man making the withdrawals. CCTV shows a man between 5ft 9in – 5ft 11in, dressed in smart-casual clothing with a striped scarf, using Alan's bank cards. The man also has a limp due to his right leg being longer than his left leg. Lincolnshire Police has looked at more than 16,000 possible suspects in the UK and abroad as part of the investigation - which is one of its largest ever. Despite having a full DNA profile of an attacker and CCTV of a suspect using Mr Wood's stolen bank cards, no one has been charged. Ten years ago, DNA was found at the scene of the murder. A world-wide search has been carried out but no match has yet been found on any police DNA database. More than 20 officers raided three properties in the Stamford area shortly after 0600 BST. A 35-year-old, a 43-year-old and an 18-year-old were all arrested and are currently in custody at Sleaford police station. A fourth man, aged 20, remains on police bail. However, Three men arrested over the torture and murder of a Lincolnshire man have been released from bail without further action. The case has twice been featured on the BBC's Crimewatch programme.

Case Last Updated:

Jul 29, 2026