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A London Metropolitan Police officer has been arrested in connection with the disappearance of a 33-year-old woman who disappeared in a southern part of the city a week ago.
Sarah Everard was last seen walking alone late at night, UK detectives confirm.
In a statement Wednesday (NZT), the Metropolitan Police said a man had been arrested at an address in Kent and taken into custody. A woman at the same location was arrested on suspicion of helping the alleged offender.
Met Police / Supplied
Sarah Everard, 33, left a friend’s house in Clapham, south London, around 9 p.m. and started walking home to Brixton.
Assistant Commissioner Nick Ephgrave said the arrest was a serious and significant event.
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“We will continue to work swiftly on this investigation, but the fact that the man arrested is an on-duty Metropolitan Police officer is both shocking and deeply disturbing,” Ephgrave said.
CCTV footage showed Everard walking down the A205 Poynders Road in the direction of Tulse Hill in the Lambeth district of south London. BBC reports.
The apparition was around 11:30 pm local time, half an hour after she left a friend’s house to walk to Brixton.
The walk home was expected to have taken him 50 minutes, but detectives are not sure if he made it home.
Kirsty O’Connor / PA via AP
In the Clapham Common area of London, posters have been put up asking people for information about the missing woman Sarah Everard.
Police have been searching homes in the area and checking with locals to discover more sightings. People are urged to review the doorbell and dash cam footage.
The Met’s Crime Specialist Command has taken over the case, but it is still treated as a missing person investigation, according to the BBC.
Detective Chief Inspector Katherine Goodwin said: “I would like to emphasize that there is no information at this time to suggest that anything adverse has happened to Sarah.
“The focus remains on getting your home back to your family safe and sound, and that’s our number one priority.
“I would like to thank Sarah’s family and friends, the local community and the public for their help in raising awareness of this appeal and for submitting information.
Jonathan Brady / PA via AP
A search party near Eagle Pond on Clapham Common.
“I urge anyone with information or who has noticed any suspicious activity in the area to contact us if they have not already done so.”
Everard’s family previously told the BBC they care more about her day by day.
“She is always in regular contact with us and with her friends and it is totally out of place for her to disappear like this.
“We long to see her and all we want is to be found safe and sound.
“We are desperate for news and if anyone knows anything about what has happened to him, we urge them to come forward and speak to the police.”
Everard was last seen in a green rain jacket, navy blue pants with a white diamond pattern, and turquoise and orange sweatpants. He also had green headphones and a white hat.
