A serving Metropolitan Police officer has been arrested on suspicion of murder following the disappearance of a woman in south London. He continues to be questioned after human remains were found in a woodland area in Kent on Wednesday. Sarah Everard, 33, was last seen walking in Clapham at about 9.30PM on the 3rd of March.Late on Tuesday night, the Metropolitan Police said they had arrested a serving officer at an address in Kent, in what the force said was a “shocking and deeply disturbing” development.
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On Wednesday afternoon the Met revealed the man, in his 40s, had originally been arrested on suspicion of kidnap, and subsequently further arrested on suspicion of murder, and a separate allegation of indecent exposure.“The man is a serving Metropolitan Police officer in the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command,” a police statement said. “His primary role was uniformed patrol duties of diplomatic premises.”A woman, in her 30s, was arrested at the same address in Kent on suspicion of assisting an offender.
The Met’s Assistant Commissioner Nick Ephgrave said last night: “The arrest this evening is a serious and significant development. We will continue to work with all speed on this investigation, but the fact that the arrested man is a serving Metropolitan Police officer is both shocking and deeply disturbing.“I understand there will be significant public concern, but it is essential that the investigative team are given the time and space to continue their work.”In a further statement given to reporters on Wednesday morning, Ephgrave said police did not believe the officer was on duty at the time of Everard’s disappearance.
Police officers conduct a fingertip search of Poynders Road outside Poynders Court on the junction with Rodenhurst Road as they continue the search for Sarah Everard. Photo: Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images
Everard, who worked in marketing, disappeared after leaving a friend’s house in Clapham last Wednesday, during her walk home to Brixton.She was captured on film by a door camera as she walked along Poynders Road, which is the last known sighting of her.On Wednesday, Met police commissioner Cressida Dick said that officers searching the area in Kent had “found, very sadly, what appears to be human remains”.The Met said that following the arrest of a serving officer, it had made a referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
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The Met’s Assistant Commissioner Nick Ephgrave said last night: “The arrest this evening is a serious and significant development. We will continue to work with all speed on this investigation, but the fact that the arrested man is a serving Metropolitan Police officer is both shocking and deeply disturbing.“I understand there will be significant public concern, but it is essential that the investigative team are given the time and space to continue their work.”In a further statement given to reporters on Wednesday morning, Ephgrave said police did not believe the officer was on duty at the time of Everard’s disappearance.