Tributes to 'dearly missed' Southsea actress as murder detectives try to trace her final movements

IT company worker Lorraine Bream, 40, was discovered on Monday on a first-floor roof overlooking Tonbridge Street near the busy Palmerston Road shopping precinct in Southsea.

Ms Bream, who lived in nearby Marmion Road, was hailed as ‘outgoing’ and ‘confident’ after she was named by police as being the woman at the centre of a murder probe.

A 53-year-old man, from Southsea, was yesterday released on bail until October 14 after being questioned on suspicion of her murder.

Colleague Shelley Hocking, 45, who worked with Ms Bream at Portsmouth-based computer services firm Bell Integration, told The News: ‘She was a lovely woman, really big heart with an echoing contagious laugh and a larger than life personality.

‘She is dearly missed already.’

She added Ms Bream, who worked in sales support, was ‘one of the funniest, feisty, quick-witted and caring members’ of the company.

In a social media post, Ms Hocking added: ‘I wish you could believe how much you were loved.’

She added: ‘You will forever be in our hearts and minds, and will in time bring smiles to our faces again in memories shared of your wicked sense of humour and beautiful heart.’

Police closed Tonbridge Street, at the back of Palmerston Road, after Ms Bream was found on a first-floor roof behind Clark’s shoe shop in the shopping precinct.

Detectives have appealed for anyone who saw her from 8pm on Sunday night to get in contact as they piece together her final movements.

Late on Sunday afternoon Ms Bream, who moved from Plymouth to the city around 20 years ago, had posted a selfie on Facebook as she smiled in the sunshine. She had been due to holiday in Cyprus next week.

Ms Bream, who has a niece, had performed on stage with the Phoenix Players in a production of Jailbird, a comedy set in a prison, that ran May 29-June 1 at Trinity Methodist Church in Albert Road, Southsea. She had been a member for around three years.

Chairwoman Valerie Bird said: ‘It’s very sad indeed, she’s been in a few of our productions and was always very outgoing and friendly with everybody, and she was a very good actress - she will be a sad loss.

‘She was very important to us. The last play she was in was Jailbirds and we put that on in the spring and that was the last production she was in.’

Peter Marcus, technical director, said: ‘She was the first person to come and say hello, she was very confident, helpful and outgoing.’

Anyone with information should call 101 quoting 44190330369.