The Metropolitan Police in Britain have said they have arrested a police officer on the grounds of kidnapping and murder in connection with a woman who went missing in London last week. The force said on Wednesday the fact that the man was a serving officer was ‘shocking and deeply disturbing’, but wanted to reassure Londoners that kidnappings from the city’s streets remain rare.
The force said the man, who is in his forties, was arrested late Tuesday in Kent, south-east London, as part of the investigation into the disappearance of Sarah Everard, a 33-year-old marketing manager who disappeared when he left a friend’s flat in south London on 3 March.
Police said detectives late Wednesday believe they found human remains in the bushveld in Kent. Police have not yet confirmed the identity of the remains.
The police were a serving officer in the parliamentary and diplomatic protection order and were responsible for patrolling diplomatic premises such as Parliament, Downing Street and embassies in London. The force did not specify where he worked.
He was first arrested on the grounds of kidnapping, and on Wednesday he was “further arrested on the grounds of murder and a separate allegation of indecent exposure.”
The officer was not on duty at the time of Everard’s disappearance. Police did not say if he knew Everard. The force said he was arrested along with a woman in her thirties, who allegedly assisted an offender. Both suspects remained in custody.
Commissioner Cressida Dick, who heads the Metropolitan Police, said the news that a serving officer had been arrested in connection with the murder of Everard sent shock and anger through the public.
“I speak on behalf of all my colleagues in the Met when I say that we are completely appalled by this terrible news,” she said in a television statement.
‘Sarah’s disappearance in these horrible and bad circumstances is the worst nightmare of any family. I know Londoners want to know that it is incredibly rare for a woman to be abducted from our streets. ‘
Assistant Commissioner Nick Ephgrave had earlier said the arrest of an officer was ‘shocking and disturbing’.
The case was quickly underway and hundreds of officers worked 24 hours on the investigation, Dick said.