[ad_1]
Detectives investigating Sarah Everard’s disappearance are searching a house and forest in Kent after an on-duty police officer was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping and murder.
The 33-year-old marketing executive disappeared a week ago while walking home from a friend’s flat in south London on March 3.
A man, in his 40s, was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping Tuesday night before being re-arrested on suspicion of murder and a separate indictment of indecent exposure Wednesday.
The suspect is an agent of the Metropolitan Police in the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command. Police said their main role was uniformed patrolling of diplomatic facilities.
A woman, in her 30s, was also arrested on suspicion of helping a criminal. Both remain in police custody.
Police have been searching for locations in London and Kent, including a property in Deal and a wooded area near Ashford.
Forensic officers were seen entering and exiting a home on Freemens Way, Deal, where a tent had been set up outside, while several cars were also seen being taken away.
Police are believed to be searching for land around the disused Great Chart Golf and Leisure complex on Bear’s Lane, where at least five police vans and several officers were seen outside.
Police activity outside a home on Freemens Way in Deal, Kent, as detectives search for Sarah Everard, who went missing in South London.
(Steve Parsons / PA)
Outside the complex there is a cordon that prevents the entry of the press and the public.
Police also closed nearby Fridd Lane, which is west of the golf course and borders a wooded area.
Residents living near the property being searched on Freemens Way said a helicopter had been circling.
Matt Housely told the PA news agency: “The first thing you think is, ‘Has anyone been murdered?'”
Another neighbor, Matt Mullan, said police had removed several cars from the address.
A coroner enters a home on Freemens Way in Deal, Kent, as detectives search for a missing Sarah Everard.
(PENNSYLVANIA)
The 29-year-old added: “Last night there were police cars outside all night.
“I thought ‘this is a bit strange, it’s not normal around here.’
“It was around 8-9 pm. There was a lot of traffic and there were police cars outside all morning.
“It’s very surprising, it’s definitely not what you expect to see.”
Another resident told PA: “You really don’t expect me to be on your doorstep.
“You see this kind of thing every day on TV and in the news, but you don’t expect it.”
Sarah Everard was wearing the same green coat as in this picture the night she disappeared while walking home to Brixton from Clapham.
(Family brochure / Metropolitan Police)
Speaking to reporters outside Scotland Yard earlier, Deputy Commissioner Nick Ephgrave said investigators “really hope” Everard is still alive.
The officer, who was off duty at the time of Everard’s disappearance, was arrested Tuesday night at an address in Kent, along with a woman who is being held on suspicion of helping a criminal.
Ephgrave said: “This is a serious and significant development in our search for Sarah and the fact that the man who has been arrested is an on-duty Metropolitan Police officer is both shocking and deeply disturbing.”
He told reporters that detectives were working “at full speed” to find out what had happened to Ms Everard, and repeated calls for information from the public.
After leaving her friend’s house, Everard is believed to have walked down Clapham Common to her home in Brixton, a journey that should have taken about 50 minutes.
Poynders Court on the A205 in Clapham, during the ongoing search for Sarah Everard
(Victoria Jones / PA)
She was last captured with a doorbell camera walking down the A205 Poynders Road towards Tulse Hill at around 9:30 pm on March 3.
On Tuesday night, police placed a cordon outside an apartment block near where the footage was recorded.
The search focused on the Poynders Court housing complex, and coroners could be seen examining the area.
Sniffer dogs were also used to search the nearby Oaklands Estate and gardens on the surrounding streets, while other officers raised decks and searched drains along the A205.
The Metropolitan Police said it had received more than 120 calls from the public and had visited 750 homes in the area as part of the investigation.
Additional PA reports
