The brother of a police officer whose remains have been found in a London flat has said the “world will be a worse place without him”, as police continue to question a man suspected of the officer’s murder.
PC Gordon Semple, 59, left his home in Greenhithe in Dartford, Kent, on 1 April to go to Westminster, where he worked for the city council’s antisocial behaviour team. His partner, Gary Meeks, reported him missing after he failed to return home.
In a statement posted on a Facebook appeal page, Semple’s brother Ronnie said: “On behalf of Gordon’s partner Gary, my wife Maureen, Gordon’s nephew Paul, niece Kerry and I, I would like to thank everyone for their kind thoughts during the past dreadful week. It has been a terrible time for us all, especially Gary.
“Gordon will be sadly missed by all of his immediate family, his colleagues in the Met police, former Bank of Scotland colleagues in Inverness and London, friends from his Tartan Army days, but most of all the hardest loss is for Gary at this time.
“Gordon was a much-loved partner, brother, brother-in-law, uncle and cousin and our world will be a worse place without him.”
A 49-year-old suspect is being questioned on suspicion of murder after being arrested at a property on the Peabody estate, on Southwark Street, where Semple’s remains were found. Forensic searches at the property were continuing on Friday.
Reading a statement outside New Scotland Yard on Friday, Commander Alison Newcomb said: “Due to the condition of the human remains it will take some time for the cause of death to be established and formal identification to take place.
“This is obviously a significant development and we have informed Gordon’s family and his colleagues.”
Semple was last seen at 3pm on Friday when he was captured on CCTV on Great Guildford Street near London Bridge, half a mile from the Shard. He had left the 95-storey tower at about 12.30pm after an on-duty meeting at the Shangri-La hotel in the building.
Detectives had been trying to establish where the Scottish-born officer was in the hours between his departure from the Shard and the last sighting of him on CCTV. On Friday morning the investigation was focused on the Peabody estate.
Martin Harris, whose brother Stephen lives in the same block as the suspect, told the Guardian on Friday that he called the police when he was alerted to a foul smell emanating from one of the flats.
The 49-year-old former scaffolder said: “I went round there and you could smell it.” He claimed that he spoke to a man in the flat at the centre of police inquiries, who said the smell came from his cooking.
He added that the man who answered the door was wearing only a pair of Speedo-style swimming trunks.
Heather Brown, 55, who also lives on the estate, said the suspect lit candles outside the property. “He had put scented candles outside his flat because of the smell,” she said. “Martin knocked on the door because they just smelt this horrible smell.”
Brown, a manager at stationers Ryman, added: “I go to work and leave my windows open because on this estate there’s never any problems. I’ve lived here 30 years and it’s a very quiet estate and a very quiet community. It’s very unusual.”
Another resident in the estate, which comprises private and housing association accommodation, said emergency services were at the scene on Thursday. Lauren Ingram said a man was seen being transferred from an ambulance to a police van outside the property.
She said forensic officers were seen searching through the estate’s shared bins. Police posted letters to residents of the estate at 1am explaining what had happened.
Thousands of people joined the Semple family’s Facebook appeal page, and his niece Kerry Nicholas posted a message there speaking of the family’s sorrow.
She wrote: “Gordon’s family would like to thank everyone for their support throughout this difficult time. Your support and help to find Gordon was overwhelming. He was a loved partner, brother, uncle and friend to many. Family request that their privacy be respected at this sad time.”
