Kemp Town in shock over Artful Dodger revelations (From The Argus)

Kemp Town in shock over Artful Dodger revelations

5:10pm Monday 20th August 2012 in News

A neighbourhood is reeling from the news that the lover of a man found murdered at his home is suspected of being the killer.

People in St George’s Road, Kemp Town, came to know Michael Polding and Ricardo Pisano, pictured above, after they moved down from Croydon.

They spoke of their surprise at revelations that Pisano is an escaped criminal nicknamed the Artful Dodger and is believed to have fled after Mr Polding’s death.

Both people in the area and police think the pair were in a relationship, the exact nature of which remains unclear.

Pisano had claimed he was Mr Polding’s carer but Mr Polding is now known not to have had any medical support.

Newsagent Krunal Mehta, of BTO News, said: “He used to come for shopping sometimes.

“There wasn’t really anything suspicious about him. I was shocked when I first came to know he was a suspect.”

Minaxi Patel, of Jularam newsagents across the road, said: “He was just normal.”

Mr Polding was found dead in July. Police believe he had lain undiscovered for about two months. A post-mortem showed he had suffered serious injuries.

A 28-year-old London man was arrested on suspicion of murder and released on bail.

The last confirmed sighting of Pisano was on CCTV in Southampton on July 28. Last week detectives announced they were treating Pisano as a suspect but said they feared he could have fled the country.

He is about 35 and speaks with a South African accent. He has also been known as Brandon Victor Pillay, Ree and Ricky. In 2001 he escaped from prison in New Zealand.

Mr Mehta said Mr Polding was a heavy smoker who regularly bought drink from the shop.

He said: “He was softly spoken. He looked gentle. He was a bit weak. He had a fall at home in March. After that he had been to hospital.”