Lucas Barnard, 27, was held on suspicion of killing Levi Davis, 25, who was stabbed to death in Rushden, Northamptonshire on Saturday night. He has now been released.
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‘Man who killed Levi Davis acted in SELF DEFENCE’: Sources say CCTV shows cleared suspect protecting himself after being attacked in incident that saw young mother stabbed
- Levi Davis, 25, was stabbed during a fight in Rushden, Northants, on Saturday
- Lucas Barnard, was arrested on suspicion of murder, but has now been released
- Levi's boyfriend Jake Swords is charged with attempted murder of Mr Barnard
- Detectives acknowledged the late-night development would be 'confusing'
- It comes as Levi's ex-partner Matt Lewinton paid tribute to the young mother
A man accused of murdering a young mother was cleared after CCTV footage emerged showing him acting in self-defence, sources have claimed.
Lucas Barnard, 27, was held on suspicion of killing Levi Davis, 25, who was stabbed to death in Rushden, Northamptonshire on Saturday night, yards from her home.
Jake Dean Swords, 27, of Rushden, was charged with attempted murder after trying to run over and kill Barnard.
Barnard is believed to have stabbed and killed Miss Davis after she intervened in a fight between the two men. Barnard was arrested on suspicion of her murder.
But, in a bizarre twist in the case, detectives on Wednesday freed Mr Barnard and said they are not hunting any further suspects in relation to her death.
They took the decision after viewing CCTV of the incident. Sources who spoke to The Times, said he was released on the grounds of self-defence. He is still expected to give evidence as a witness.
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The victim, named locally as Levi Davis (left and right), was knifed in Wellingborough Road, Rushden, Northamptonshire, at around 8.30pm on Saturday
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Levis Davis was stabbed to death during a fight in Rushden, Northampton, on Saturday. Her former partner Matt Lewinton said she was the best mum to their two daughters (pictured)
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Mr Lewington (pictured with Ms Davives) said he still hadn't told their two girls aged two and five that their mother had been stabbed to death in the road rage incident
Police, nor the Crown Prosecution Service would comment further due to active criminal proceedings.
The news comes as Ms Davis' former partner, Matt Lewinton, who is now raising her daughters, two and five, yesterday revealed he hasn't told them about her death.
He said: 'I can't bring myself to tell them yet. They are safe and that's all that matters for now. Everything else is irrelevant. My focus is looking after them.'
He added: 'She was one of the most women in the world. I couldn't have asked for a better woman than her to be the mother to my children.
'She was one in a million. I can't tell you how much she meant to me.'
Northamptonshire Police acknowledged the release of Barnard last night, but said for legal reasons it could not elaborate further.
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Ms Davis (pictured) was stabbed while her boyfriend Jake Sword, 27, fought with Lucas Barnard. Mr Barnard was arrested on suspicion of her murder but has now been released
Senior investigating officer, DI Pete Long, said Wednesday night: 'This has been an exceptionally fast-paced investigation involving the collection of numerous pieces of evidence, crucially one of which is high-quality CCTV footage which shows the entire incident from start to finish.
'Following a consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service this evening in respect of all the evidence gathered, a decision has been made to release the 27-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder with no further action.
'I know there is an extensive amount of interest and speculation surrounding this case and I know this decision may leave many people confused, however I want to reassure the community in Rushden that this has been an exceptionally thorough investigation involving very experienced detectives from across the region.
'It will be a source of frustration to many people that we are unable to go into more detail, but this is because of an impending court process relating to a second 27-year-old man (Swords) charged with attempted murder in connection with this case.
'Specialist officers will continue to work closely with Levi's family at this extremely difficult time.'
On Saturday night, Ms Davis was travelling through Rushden with boyfriend Swords in a Vauxhall van when they collided with Mr Barnard's VW Polo.
Swords is then alleged to have tried to mow down Mr Barnard before landing blows on him.
At Swords' magistrates' hearing, prosecutor Stella Moses said there was a 'history' between him and Barnard, adding: 'The van came into collision with the Polo. The Polo stopped and Mr Barnard got out.
'The white van was driven in the direction of Mr Barnard and collided with him between the vehicles.
'Mr Swords got out and proceeded to assault Mr Barnard by stamping and blows. Another person got involved as well.'
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Mr Barnard was travelling in this Volkswagen Polo when the vehicle collided with the Vauxhall van carrying Ms Davis and Mr Swords. It was removed from the scene on Sunday (pictured)
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A map shows where Ms Davis lives and the house searched by police and forensics teams
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A forensics officer searches a house in Rushden with blood visible on the door of the property
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The larger circled house is the family home where Mr Barnard lives. The smaller circle is the spot where Ms Davis was killed
During the confrontation, Ms Davis was knifed and - although residents rushed to her aid - she was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics at around 8.30pm, leaving behind two daughters aged two and five.
A 13-year-old boy had been arrested but was freed later with no further action to be taken.
Officers combed through a £500,000 large detached home just yards from the scene of Miss Davis's death on Tuesday, though they refused to say why.
The home is believed to belong to a local roofing contractor, aged in his 50s, with police confirming it was 'linked to the investigation'.
Smears of blood could be seen on the white door frame of the house.
Ms Davis lived less than half a mile from the scene of her death, with her Facebook profile saying she previously worked for the British Army, and was support staff at Leonard Cheshire Disability.
On Tuesday Northampton Magistrates remanded Swords in custody to appear at the town's crown court on January 8.
