Man arrested after 42-year-old is found stabbed to death in Oxford following ‘vicious and sustained attack’

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

A historian who made a name for himself dealing modern first editions of books including the Harry Potter series has been found stabbed to death following a “vicious and sustained attack”.

Adrian Greenwood, 42, was found by his cleaner in the hallway of his four-storey house in Oxford on Thursday afternoon, Thames Valley police said.

He was pronounced dead at the scene and a postmortem examination gave the cause of death as multiple stab wounds. A 26-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and is in police custody. Police are yet to recover the murder weapon, which they believe is a bladed article.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A police tent has been erected at the scene. Photograph: Thames Valley police/PNS

Formal identification has not yet taken place but detectives are satisfied the man was Greenwood, who was also a biographer, author and art dealer.

According to author profiles online, Greenwood, who had received praise for his writing, studied philosophy, politics and economics at the University of Oxford before completing an MBA at Imperial College London.

He was educated at the £35,000-a-year Tonbridge school in Kent, where he was taught by Sir Anthony Seldon, the historian and biographer of John Major, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, according to his personal website..



After university he started buying British Rail lost property at auction and selling it at car boot sales around London. He moved on to antiques and eventually specialised in books. His clients included the British Library in London and the Getty Museum in Los Angeles.

Adrian Greenwood. Photograph: Thames Valley police/PNS

Greenwood’s stock included modern first edition novels, especially the works of JK Rowling, who created Harry Potter. Greenwood sold several copies of the extremely rare first hardback edition of the first novel in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. A copy of the book was stolen while on loan to an art gallery in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, but was eventually recovered by police.

From 2005, Greenwood branched out into antique taxidermy, classic cars and modern art, including works by Banksy.

Most recently, he had focused on writing and had a particular interest in 19th-century British military history. He had written two books: Victoria’s Scottish Lion: The Life of Colin Campbell, Lord Clyde and Through Spain with Wellington: The Letters of Lieutenant Peter Le Mesurier of the ‘Fighting Ninth’.

Det Supt Chris Ward, head of Thames Valley police’s major crime unit, said: “We believe that Mr Greenwood was a historian, biographer, author and a dealer in art, cars and other historic artefacts.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Police have cordoned off the area. Photograph: Thames Valley police/PNS

“We believe that an altercation has taken place in the hallway of this house. The postmortem confirmed that Mr Greenwood died following a vicious and sustained attack. It is very likely that the offender may have injuries as a result of this altercation.”

Detectives are keeping an open mind in terms of motive and would like to speak to anyone who may have information.

Ward added: “The investigation team would like to hear from anyone who has information about Mr Greenwood’s associates, or anyone who has had a personal or business engagement with him in the last few weeks.

“The last sighting of Mr Greenwood was at Sainsbury’s supermarket in Oxford Road, Kidlington, at about 6pm on Tuesday 5 April after the 42-year-old was found by his cleaner in the hallway of his four-storey house in Oxford on Thursday afternoon.”