THREE people, two men and a young woman, are still being questioned today by detectives after a 34-year-old father was found stabbed to death.

The body of Scott Upton was discovered at the rear of the White Horse pub on the corner of Rainham High Street and Station Road at about 4.30am last Thursday. A post mortem showed he died of multiple stab wounds.

The three people arrested at the weekend are being questioned at various police stations across Kent.

A Kent Police spokesman said today: "We still have two men and a woman in custody and officers have been given an extension to question these three people further."

The body of Mr Upton, from Gillingham, was found by a passer-by at the back of the pub car park, close to a construction site where a new medical centre for the Medway Primary Care Trust is being built. Forensic officers carried out a fingertip search of the scene.

Police do not believe Mr Upton had been in the White Horse on the night of his death.

The man leading the murder hunt, Det Ch Insp Mick Judge, said: "Searches are still taking place at the scene in relation to any murder weapon. Tapes from CCTV cameras in the area have been seized and are being viewed."

Det Ch Insp Judge said police did not believe Mr Upton had been involved in any form of criminality which might have led to his death.

He said: "We do not believe Mr Upton had been in the pub on the night of his death and have no record of a known fight."

Mr Upton was last seen around midnight in Station Road. Police are appealing for information regarding his movements.

Det Ch Insp Mick Judge added: "We are appealing to anyone who may have seen him in

Station Road or in the High Street, or who noticed anything suspicious or unusual on Wednesday night and early on Thursday morning to get in touch with us.

"I would like to hear from any witnesses who may have seen Mr Upton between midnight and 4am.

"We don’t have many incidents like this in Kent and we are investigating it as a one-off incident. There is nothing that leads me to believe that Rainham residents should be concerned for their safety.

"This is a devastating thing to have happened to Mr Upton and his family, especially when there are children involved."

Anyone with information is asked to contact the murder incident room hotline on 01622 654850. Alternatively, contact Kent Crimestoppers on 0800 555111. Calls are free. You do not have to give your name and you could be eligible for a cash award.