AN OXFORD professor was killed at the home of a fellow don, it emerged last night.

Detectives launched a murder inquiry after Prof Steven Rawlings, an astrophysicist from St Peter’s College, was found dying at the home of mathematician Dr Devinder Sivia in Laurel Drive, Southmoor, shortly after 11.20pm on Wednesday.

Despite the desperate attempts of a member of the public, a police officer and then paramedics, 50-year-old Prof Rawlings was pronounced dead.

A 49-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder and was last night being quizzed over the death.

A post mortem examination was being carried out to determine what killed Prof Rawlings, who was described by St Peter’s master Mark Damazer as “a much-liked and admired tutor and colleague who will be greatly missed”.

He added: “We extend our deepest sympathy to his wife Linda.”

Detectives would not name the 49-year-old man who was arrested, but did say it appeared he knew Prof Rawlings.

The bungalow in Laurel Drive was said by neighbours to be owned by Dr Sivia, who they believed was in his late 40s and had lived in the neighbourhood for many years.

Detective Superintendent Rob Mason said officers were still trying to piece together the events inside the house that led to Prof Rawlings’ death.

No weapon had been recovered, he said.

Mr Mason added: “We have interviewed the arrested man and the interviews are ongoing.

“Until the result of the post mortem examination is known and further enquiries have been completed, I am unable to provide more information or speculate as to the circumstances surrounding his death. It does appear that no one else was present at the address and we are not currently looking for anyone else in connection with this incident.

“It is apparent that he was well- respected and liked within the college, and colleagues and students have been devastated by the news.

“His wife is also absolutely devastated.”

Duncan Logan, 52, of Laurel Drive, who runs property maintenance firm DSL, said he knew Dr Sivia, who lived in the house, after carrying out some work on his property.

He said: “I’ve known Devinder for a number of years and he’s a lovely chap who enjoys going out for a ramble.

“Until a few years ago, he lived in a semi-detached house on the other side of the road but moved to a bigger house because he wanted his parents to move in with him eventually.”

Father-of-two John Farrington, 57, a software engineer, who lives opposite, said: “Nothing like this has happened round here before – people keep themselves to themselves.

“It’s very sad to hear someone has died.”

A 70-year-old neighbour added: “Police knocked on our door about 1.30am and asked us if we had heard any noises during the night.

“A Sikh gentleman lived in the house and was visited from time to time by elderly relatives. He kept himself to himself.”

PROF STEVEN RAWLINGS Prof Steve Rawlings was an Official Fellow and Tutor in Physics of St Peter’s College and lived in Post Office Lane, Letcombe Regis, with his wife Linda. The 50-year-old was originally from Worthing, West Sussex and studied at Cambridge University as an undergraduate. He was a regular at the The Greyhound Inn in Letcombe Regis and listed his favourite authors as John Fowles, Franz Kafka and Hunter S Thompson. On his Facebook page he said he was a fan of Inspector Morse, while his favourite musicians include Tori Amos, Kate Bush, Emerson, Lake and Palmer and Pink Floyd. The master of St Peter’s College, Mark Damazer, said: “Steve was elected to his Fellowship in 1994, having initially been employed by the college for two years as Lecturer in Mathematics. “He undertook his undergraduate and doctoral studies at the University of Cambridge, and remained there to do post-doctoral work prior to moving to Oxford. “Steve held his St Peter’s Fellowship in conjunction with a University Lecturership in Astrophysics, later becoming professor. He was head of the sub-Department of Astrophysics of the University of Oxford from 2006–2010. “He was one of the lead scientists in the international Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project and also played a prominent role in the redevelopment of the Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station in Cornwall as a radio astronomy facility.”