Detectives investigating a murder in Ilford have named the 34-year-old victim.

Police were called at 9.28pm  on Friday, 9 October to reports of an assault on Southdown Crescent, IG2.

Officers attended and found a man suffering from a stab injury. They immediately provided first aid. Despite their efforts, and that of the London Ambulance Service, the man was pronounced dead at the scene at 10.33pm.

The man has been formally identified as Lee Baxter, a father-of-four. His next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specially-trained officers.

A post-mortem examination found that Lee died from multiple stab wounds.

At this early stage, homicide detectives from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command believe he was stabbed in an alleyway by a group of men following an argument, who fled the scene. Extensive enquiries are ongoing to establish the exact circumstances of the incident.

Detective Chief Superintendent Stephen Clayman, borough commander for the East Area Command Unit, said: “My thoughts are with Lee’s family, especially his children, at this sad time.

“I appreciate that this incident will, of course, be of concern to the local community. Please know that there is a dedicated team who are conducting extensive enquiries into what happened that night, and I know that they will be tireless in their efforts to track down those responsible.

“Local officers have been out on patrol to reassure the community and I encourage anyone who has a concern to speak to them.”

Anyone with information is asked to call police via 101 or tweet @MetCC quoting reference 7789/09Oct.