A 47-year-old man wanted on suspicion of murder following the discovery of a woman’s body in Bognor Regis has been arrested on the Isle of Wight this morning (Sunday).
A major manhunt was launched in the Sandown area late last night with officers surrounding Los Altos Park, as first reported by Island Echo. The search, which involved the National Police Air Service helicopter, was prompted by the launch of a murder investigation earlier in the day.
According to Sussex Police, they were called to a property in Collyer Avenue, Bognor Regis at 15:51 yesterday after a 52-year-old woman was found by a caller following concerns that she hadn’t been seen or heard from for a couple of days.
At around 20:00 last night, officers from Hampshire Constabulary rushed to the hovercraft terminal at Quay Road in Ryde after intel was received that the suspect in the investigation had travelled to the Isle of Wight. Unfortunately, the male had fled before officers could locate him.
Then, at around 22:30, Police sighted the suspect in Sandown and created a ring of steel around Los Altos Park with officers located at every entrance and exit. Almost every resource available on the Island was utilised in the area.
Despite the assistance of the National Police Air Service helicopter, which circled overhead for some 90 minutes, the suspect is thought to have evaded capture until this morning (Sunday) when officers made an arrest.
It has now been confirmed that a 47-year-old man from Bognor Regis has been arrested on suspicion of murder. He was arrested at an undisclosed location on the Island this morning.
Detective Chief Inspector Alex Geldart, who is leading the Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Team investigation, said:
“Our thoughts are with the victim’s family at this tragic time. They are being supported by our family liaison officers”.
A post mortem examination to establish the cause of the woman’s death will be taking place today.
Why an undisclosed location?
Presumably (having evaded the one hovercraft terminal), and finding himself surrounded by the Sandown ‘ring of steel’ and all the islands police resources plus a helicopter the man must surely have been arrested in Sandown then????
Who cares where he was arrested? I’m more interested in the fact that due to excellent work by our police force they got him and he is now in custody and off our streets
Also if he managed to get here in lockdown how many more have. Our numbers here are going up not plateauing or going down.
Or handed himself in and they won’t say to save them the embarrassment
Does it really matter where he was arrested,? People continually having a pop at the Police, REALLY ?. Get a life mate.
Well said Frank, too many people are too quick to comment without engaging a brain!
How did he get on the boat in the first place? I thought there were restrictions in place?
If only we were told earlier, we could have all gone down to the beach to spread more deaths to the innocent. Good job the Police kept this quiet until today.
Stay safe all
How and why on earth are people still being allowed to travel to the Island? I thought we were in lockdown? What is it the ferry companies can’t do that allows this to happen? This is putting us ALL at risk!
Why come to the island where he would be trapped!! Unbelievable !!! obviously in a rush to evade the local police but caught by Isle of Wight police officers. Well done.
Clearly is not a criminal mastermind!
It’s in the story, that the police were told by Hovertravel staff that he was crossing the water. Give them full marks for being public spirited
Did the criminal only buy a one way ticket then? They shouldn’t let rubbish like that here, if not murdering be up to summit I bet
Well done all those services involved in capturing this man, big thank you for keeping the Island safe xx
Here here!
Unnecessary comment and clearly not informed
Well done to the police for getting him but how the hell did he get on hovercraft I thought ferries and hovers were being monitored for non essential travel so how many bank holiday tourists have also got over this weekend possibly bringing more covid 19 cases more care needed at tbe ports
It shows they are not being monitored
The government has not instructed public transport operators to request proof of essential travel – such as island residency for those travelling to the island or a key worker authorisation letter from their employer to travel to the mainland or back again.
This means that public transport can ask customers not to travel unless essential, however, have no right to decide what is or isn’t essential travel for each customer.- they are not the police
A question for our island MP Bob Seely surely? How are the permanent residents of the IOW ever going to be safe and the island free of CV? We the residents have been asking for essential supplies and key worker travel only for weeks but out safety is obviously not a priority
I don’t think we are ever going to be safe again. World travel will see to that.
And heard on the radio news half hour ago this virus is never going to go away now, and we all have to learn to adopt how we live to accommodate it.
This is terrible news for people anyway, and worse for people with severe anxiety conditions, like me and my friend who I am extremely worried about, he is in his eighties and getting more infirm from not being able to go out, and also seems extremely depressed now saying he doesn’t want to go on, I am alone trying to deal with all this and worried about him too, both of us do not go to doctors as have phobias about medical stuff and procedures and tests, we are terrified of things like that, and so i am the only one who has to hear these things he is saying, and also trying to cope with my own fears.
I can’t see any hope.
Absolutely. Considering lockdown has been three weeks and quarantine just 2 weeks why are our number going up, plus the ratio of cases, to deaths, is about 15 percent. For gods sake Bob Seely needs to get something done we obviously won’t have the facilities to accommodate ourselves in hospital let alone mainlanders who end up her quarantined and then needing a bed….
He probably forgot about the Sandown lockdown beach massive, whereupon he gave up instantly
Clearly a more shared opinion than tintin’s though… Twice as much in fact.
In light of this, is it not time Bob Seeley asked the police & maybe other forces, to question people on the ferries & hovercrafts as to why they are coming over? He obviously wasn’t a key worker. If they want people to respect the police, in terms of stopping, questioning, moving people on & maybe fining people, how is it the police can’t extend that power, to the ferries? I understand why the lockdown is in place & respect the rules. But, i also understand how many folk think the rules don’t apply to them, if they hear the news, that a suspected murderer took a jolly over to the island. Other police forces have moved people on holiday away from there counties etc, even escorting them over the border. But for some reason, our police don’t have that power, over on the ferries. Again, cash before people. I was born on the island, it is NOT my second home, it is my only home. Iam a little tired of going to classes etc (before lockdown) & being the only Isle Of Wighter there, who is made to feel like a guest. Iam tired of folk who move here, not because they love it, but because its cheap. That then use & abuse the Island with over building etc & NOT PROTECTING it.