Updated: December 28, 2009
Man charged with murder of 20 year-old in Burnham-On-Sea

A man will appear in court today (Monday December 28th) charged with the murder of 20-year-old George Lawson (pictured), who was killed in Burnham-On-Sea on Christmas Eve.

It follows the discovery of the body of Mr Lawson at a flat in Abingdon Street, as reported here.

A man named by police as Adam Lapthorne, 23, has been charged with murder and is due to appear at Taunton Magistrates Court.

Three other people who were also arrested have been released.

George Lawson's mother, Katie Lawson, said: "News has recently been brought to us of the death of our beloved son George Lawson. It can never be easy to receive news such as this especially at this time of year."

"We as a family now need time to come to terms with our loss and to inform all those who care about George about his death."

"We are co-operating fully with the police so that they can conduct a thorough investigation in an effort to bring whoever is responsible to justice."

Scores of tributes have already been paid to George Lawson on the social networking website Facebook - as reported by Burnham-On-Sea.com here.

After Mr Lawson's body was found, police taped off an area at the front of the Second Image tattoo shop, as pictured below, as their investigations got under way.

The area was shut to the public, with Abingdon Street taped off for 12 hours as the drama unfolded.

Later in the afternoon, another police cordon appeared around a home in Kimber Close in Highbridge as the investigation continued. Parts of Burnham seafront were also searched.

Police have again appealed for witnesses and anybody with information is asked to contact the police incident room in Bridgwater on 0845 456 7000 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.