Body of man found burned to death in 'vigilante attack' just hours after being released from police custody

The body of a man has been found badly-burnt and with serious head injuries hours after he was questioned by police in what is believed to be a vigilante attack.
A group of teenage boys saw the charred remains of the man in his 40s in the Brislington area of Bristol.
He had suffered a serious assault and set on fire before paramedics arrived at around 1.40am in the early hours of Sunday.
Emergency services battled to put out the flames but were unable to save him and he died at the scene.

Investigation: Forensic officers remove a mattress and examine the scene where a man was beaten and burnt to death in Bristol

Attack: The victim, believed to be a man in his 40s, had been spoken to by police two days earlier following complaints

Two men aged 24, and two women, aged 24 and 32, were arrested on suspicion of murder a short time later. The two women have today been bailed but the men remain in custody for questioning by detectives.
It is understood the victim, who lived alone, was arrested by police on Friday night for breaching the peace.

He was later released without being charged.
Neighbours reported hearing a dispute in the early hours of Sunday morning. Teenage boys who were camping in a nearby garden are believed to have seen the charred body after hearing the victim's desperate screams for help.
A patch of brown, scorched earth remains around 100 metres away from the victim's flat on Capgrave Crescent.

Alarm: Two teenage boys who were camping nearby are believed to have seen the charred body after hearing the victim's screams for help

The case has been automatically referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission because the victim died following police contact.
A neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: 'The first I knew of anything was flashing blue lights outside in the early hours of Sunday.
'I looked out the window and saw a police car parked up, two officers standing over something and a billowing cloud of smoke.
'By the time the smoke cleared, the more I thought about it I realised it was a body on the ground.'

Horror: A patch of brown, scorched earth remains where the victim was found on fire

Ongoing: Police arrested two men and two women on suspicion of murder following the grisly discovery

Another neighbour, who also wanted to remain anonymous, said: 'The three kids were camping and they heard the man shouting and crying out for help and they could smell something burning.
'They went to investigate what was happening and they came across the burnt body. It's a kiddies' estate, there are lots of kids round here who are always out playing.
'What's happened is horrific - they shouldn't have to see something like that.'

A spokesman for Avon and Somerset police said: 'Investigations continue into the murder of a man in his 40s in Capgrave Crescent in Brislington on Sunday, July 14.
'Two women arrested on suspicion of murder have been released on police bail while the two men remain in police custody.
'It follows an incident in the early hours of Sunday in which we were called to the address to reports of a seriously injured man who had then been found in flames by paramedics. He sadly died as a result of his injuries.
'The matter has been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.'
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