'Unexplained' death of James Harris Durkin is now being treated as a murder (From News Shopper)

'Unexplained' death of James Harris Durkin is now being treated as a murder

10:02am Sunday 10th June 2012 in Crime By Robert Fisk

THE death of a 21-year-old man who was found collapsed near an Orpington park is now being treated as a murder.

Officers found James Harris Durkin suffering from a serious head injury in Court Road, near Priory Gardens, at around 3am on Tuesday (June 5).

He was taken by ambulance to Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel, where he died that evening.

At first officers were treating his death as unexplained and a Met Police spokesman said it was not believed to be suspicious.

But a post-mortem examination was carried out on Thursday afternoon and gave the cause of death as a deep brain bleed linked to blunt force trauma.

The father of three, who is believed to be an ex-pupil of the Priory School, had travelled from his home in Eastbourne to Orpington to attend a funeral.

And on Monday he went to a Jubilee celebration barbecue with his friends and family in Court Road.

He was assaulted in the early hours of Tuesday and police want to speak to anyone who was in the area at the time.

Anyone with any information about what happened is asked to call the police on 020 8721 4961 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.