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Arrest made in connection with brutal murder of Scotland gay man

Arrest made in connection with brutal murder of Scotland gay man

CUMNOCK, Ayrshire, Scotland — Police have arrested an 18-year-old man in connection with the brutal murder of Stuart Walker, gay man who was found beaten, burned and left by the side of a road in Ayrshire, Scotland last weekend.

Stuart Walker

The suspect, whose identity has not yet been released, is in police custody and expected at Ayr Sheriff Court on Monday morning.

The charred remains of Walker’s body were discovered in the early hours on October 22. Walker’s murder is not currently being treated as motivated by homophobia, although the spokeswoman confirmed that investigators are keeping an open mind.

Authorities said the suspect was questioned voluntarily by detectives on Thursday evening before he was formally detained.

Earlier this week, media outlets in the United Kingdom and U.S. bloggers reported that Walker had previously been questioned in an alleged incident this past August involving a claim of sexual assault on a 12-year-old boy, but those allegations were found to be fabrications, according to a source in the local prosecutor’s office.

“A lying convicted rapist was behind a ‘malicious’ child abuse accusation against murder victim Stuart Walker,” reported the Scottish newspaper, The Daily Record.

As police continued their investigation into Walker’s murder, a Crown Office source said “there was absolutely no corroboration” for the abuse allegation and that case “is now closed.”

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