Boy, 16, charged over surgeon death

A teenager is due in court charged with killing a respected retired surgeon.

Anthony Owen, 68, was found by two members of the public lying next to his white Honda Civic in affluent Hale Village in Cheshire.

A 16-year-old boy has been charged with Mr Owen's manslaughter after he was arrested with two others, aged 14 and 17.

The victim's family have praised the "high moral values and exacting standards" of the semi-retired cancer surgeon who dedicated his life to saving others as a consultant general surgeon who specialised in a range of conditions including breast cancer and keyhole surgery.

Police have dismissed reports Mr Owen had caught thieves trying to steal his vehicle, and ruled out the possibility that he had been hit by a car.

Officers were first alerted to the incident, around 10.20pm on March 11, by a passing motorist who told detectives he saw three males on bikes shortly before he found Mr Owen. Police said two of the males rode BMX bikes, with the third balanced on the back of one of the bikes.

Mr Owen was taken to the Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery in Liverpool suffering serious head injuries. He died in hospital on Saturday, six days after the incident.

The 16-year-old suspect will appear before Halton Magistrates' Court in Runcorn. The two other teenagers arrested in connection with the incident have been bailed pending further inquiries.

www.cheshire.police.uk(Cheshire Police)