A serving Met officer is being questioned on suspicion of murder over the disappearance of London marketing executive Sarah Everard, Scotland Yard has said.
The detention of the unnamed policeman was announced by the force just before midnight last night after a breakthrough described as “shocking and deeply disturbing” by one of the force’s most senior officers.
The Met said his arrest was “a significant development” in its investigation into the disappearance of 33-year-old Ms Everard, but did not initially reveal the precise grounds on which the officer was being detained.
Later on Wednesday, the force said he had been arrested on suspicion of kidnap on Tuesday, before being further arrested on suspicion of murder on Wednesday. He was also arrested over a separate allegation of indecent exposure.
The suspect, aged in his 40, was arrested at an address in Kent, understood to be in Deal, on Tuesday evening. A woman, aged in her 30s, was arrested at the same address on suspicion of assisting an offender. Both remain in custody.
According to Scotland Yard, the officer is a member of the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command and his primary duty is uniformed patrol of diplomatic premises.
The update came as police continued searching two locations in Kent – woodland near Ashford and a property in Deal.
Before the murder arrest was announced, Met Assistant Commissioner Nick Ephgrave had told reporters that police still hoped to find Ms Everard alive. “We are searching as hard as we can to find Sarah, so we really hope that is the case,” he said.
Her uncle Nick Everard had also told the Standard that he did not know whether his niece knew the arrested officer and said he and the family were waiting for further updates from police.
The development came as:
• Ms Everard’s uncle described the officer’s arrest as “unbelievable”.
• Police continued to carry out a detailed search of the housing estate next to the South Circular where she was last seen.
• Officers renewed their appeal for more information from the public, including any sightings, after the release on Tuesday of two new images of the marketing executive.
• A car was pictured being lifted by police from the drive of a house on Freemen’s Way in Deal where a blue and yellow tent had also been placed in front of the home.
Speaking on Wednesday morning, Mr Ephgrave described the arrest as “a serious and significant development”. He added: “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.”
He added that the officer “was not on duty at the time” when Ms Everard, a Durham University graduate who comes from York, went missing.
Police added that the family were being kept updated and that they were “doing everything we can to find Sarah” in a “fast-moving investigation”.
At the house in Deal, neighbours spoke of their shock as a metal fence was put up surrounding the front garden and driveway and police remained at the scene.
One said: “You don’t expect it to be on your doorstep really. You see this sort of thing every day on the TV and the news but you don’t expect it.”
Matt Mullan, 29, who also lives nearby, said: “Last night there were police cars outside all night. I thought this is a bit strange, not normal for round here.
“It was about 8-9pm there was heavy traffic out there and there have been police cars outside all morning. It’s very surprising, definitely not what you expect to see.”
Another neighbour said a police officer lives at the address with his “chatty” wife and two children.
She said: “They just seemed like a normal, regular family, there was nothing strange about them at all.” She added that police were digging up the garden.
Officers are also carrying out searches on land at a disused outdoor activity and golfing centre near the village of Great Chart.
Ms Everard disappeared a week ago as she walked from a friend’s house next to Clapham Common to her home in Brixton.
She was last captured on a doorbell camera walking along the South Circular towards Tulse Hill at around 9.30pm on Wednesday March 3, shortly after leaving a friend’s house on Leathwaite Road, one of the streets between Clapham and Wandsworth commons, through a back gate.
Ms Everard is thought to have walked across Clapham Common before heading along the South Circular en route to Brixton in a journey that should have taken about 50 minutes.
A detailed forensic search of the area around the Poynders Court housing estate, where the doorbell footage was captured, and the nearby Oaklands Estate had already begun before the with officers lifting covers and searching drains. Fingertip searches of rubbish and gardens have also been conducted.
Detective Chief Inspector Katherine Goodwin added: “This is a fast-moving investigation and we are doing everything we can to find Sarah.
“We have seen an overwhelming response from the public and I repeat my request for anyone with information that may be relevant to come forward, no matter how insignificant it may seem.”
Mr Everard added: “It’s unbelievable that a police officer has been arrested. It’s difficult to get your head round.
“It’s totally baffling. At least there had been progress in the case but now the family are just waiting for more news from the police. I know nothing more at the moment. We just have to wait. The family are very shocked and stunned.”
Chris Lowth, the father of Ms Everard’s boyfriend Josh Lowth, has previously said that they both “really want to see her back”, but said on Wednesday that he was unable to comment after being advised by police to stay silent.
Her parents Jeremy and Sue, who have previously described her disappearance as “totally out of character”, are understood to have travelled from York to London, while the hunt for their daughter continues.
The Met has already received more than 120 calls from the public and had visited 750 homes in the area as part of the investigation.
A man has been arrested in connection with the disappearance of Sarah Everard.
— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) March 9, 2021
This is a significant development but our investigation continues.
We repeat our appeal for anyone with information to speak to detectives on 0208 785 8244. https://t.co/7586mGGLHv
Officers released a CCTV image of her taken earlier in the evening when she went to Sainsbury’s to buy a bottle of wine before heading to her friend’s house.
She was last seen wearing a green rain jacket, navy blue trousers with a white diamond pattern and turquoise and orange trainers.
She was also thought to have been wearing green earphones and a white beanie hat. Two new images released last night include one showing her in the same green coat she was wearing when she vanished. The other shows her wearing a red coat and hat and displaying a medal.
Police say they are continuing to appeal for residents to submit CCTV footage that might have captured her on the night of her disappearance and that they also want delivery drivers and other motorists who were on the South Circular around the time she vanished to check their dashcam footage in the hope of finding further clues.
Downing Street said Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s thoughts are with Ms Everard and her friends and family.
His official spokesman told journalists at a Westminster briefing: “As investigations are ongoing on this case I can’t comment.
“But the Prime Minister’s thoughts are with Sarah and her friends and family.”
Following the arrest of the police officer, the Metropolitan Police said it had made a referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
