Police have launched a murder investigation after a Fazakerley man died in hospital from injuries suffered in an assault just days earlier.
Paul Groom was treated by paramedics at his house in Longmoor Lane at 10.30am on Saturday morning after a friend became concerned about him and called 999.
He was taken to hospital with a serious head injury and sadly died shortly after 10pm on Saturday evening.
Detectives are investigating the circumstances surrounding how the victim suffered his injuries.
It is believed he had been at a house in Stanton Crescent in Kirkby with people he knew in the early hours of December 8 where it is suspected that he was assaulted.
Several people who were at the address at the time have been spoken to as witnesses and detectives are carrying out extensive enquiries to identify and trace anyone else who was in the area at the time or who had any contact with the victim.
A Home Office post mortem examination carried out on Sunday has established a preliminary cause of death as being blunt force trauma to the head.
Mr Groom’s family have been informed of his death and have travelled to Merseyside from Wrexham in North Wales.
A specially trained family liaison officer is providing support to them at this difficult time.
Detective Inspector Craig Turner from Knowsley CID said: “Paul’s death is a tragedy and has left his family devastated.
“We are determined to find out what happened. We believe he was involved in an altercation either inside or outside a house in Stanton Crescent, Kirkby in the early hours of Thursday.
“He suffered injuries consistent with an assault but managed to get home to Fazakerley where his condition deteriorated to the point where a friend called an ambulance on Saturday morning.
“We need to establish Paul’s movements from Wednesday night through to Saturday morning and trace everyone he was with.
“I’d encourage people to look at his picture and cast their minds back to see if they remember seeing him.
“Paul was wearing a camouflage jacket and camouflage trousers and often walked his pet dog, a brown whippet, in the local area.
“Any information that helps us build up a picture of Paul’s movements prior to his death on Saturday could be crucial to us understanding what happened and bringing the person or people responsible to justice.”
Anyone who saw or heard anything suspicious in Stanton Crescent in Kirkby between December 8 and 10 is encouraged to call Knowsley CID on 0151 777 6064 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.