The following statement can be attributed to Detective Inspector Tom Fitzgerald:
Canterbury Police are continuing to investigate the death of Marcus Luke Tucker.
We can now confirm that Mr Tucker was brutally assaulted prior to his death, and his body was burned.
We are continuing to provide support to Mr Tucker's family as our investigation progresses, and we are committed to finding the person or persons responsible.
Police are aware that there is a lot of interest in the local community and media about the circumstances of Mr Tucker's death, and that this is prompting a certain amount of rumour and speculation. This includes various speculative theories about the possible circumstances surrounding Mr Tucker's death.
This speculation, while understandable, is extremely difficult for Mr Tucker's family, and is also not helpful to the police investigation.
We would therefore ask that the media respect the privacy of Mr Tucker's family, and also carefully consider the veracity of any information they choose to publish or broadcast.
While Police are keeping an open mind as we proceed with our investigation, our focus is on dealing with fact, not unsubstantiated rumour.
The media and the public can be assured that Police will release information as appropriate when it becomes available, but we ask for your patience given that this is a complex investigation and it may take some time before we are in a position to speak in any detail. We can say however that we do not believe there is any risk to the wider community.
ENDS