This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jan/17/man-arrested-on-suspicion-of-murdering-girl-leonne-weeks-in-rotherham-
The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Man arrested on suspicion of murdering girl in Rotherham | Man arrested on suspicion of murdering girl in Rotherham |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| An 18-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a teenage girl who was found dead on a pathway in Rotherham, police have said. | An 18-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a teenage girl who was found dead on a pathway in Rotherham, police have said. |
| The body of the victim – who has not yet been formally identified but was named locally as 16-year-old Leonne Weeks – was discovered on a pathway in the Dinnington area of Rotherham on Monday after friends and family members had issued desperate appeals on social media for her whereabouts. | The body of the victim – who has not yet been formally identified but was named locally as 16-year-old Leonne Weeks – was discovered on a pathway in the Dinnington area of Rotherham on Monday after friends and family members had issued desperate appeals on social media for her whereabouts. |
| South Yorkshire police said they were called to the scene at about 10.55am after receiving reports from members of the public. At a press conference on Monday night, they said they were treating the death as suspicious because of “concerns around the state of the body and injuries”. | South Yorkshire police said they were called to the scene at about 10.55am after receiving reports from members of the public. At a press conference on Monday night, they said they were treating the death as suspicious because of “concerns around the state of the body and injuries”. |
| Supt Sarah Poolman said police had received a missing persons report 20 minutes before the body was found and that additional police patrols would be in place over the coming days to provide “reassurance to the local community and wider general public”. She urged anyone with information about the incident to come forward. | Supt Sarah Poolman said police had received a missing persons report 20 minutes before the body was found and that additional police patrols would be in place over the coming days to provide “reassurance to the local community and wider general public”. She urged anyone with information about the incident to come forward. |
| Facebook posts from Monday morning show friends and family appealing to anyone with information about the girl’s whereabouts to contact them, after Weeks did not return home on Sunday night. | Facebook posts from Monday morning show friends and family appealing to anyone with information about the girl’s whereabouts to contact them, after Weeks did not return home on Sunday night. |
| On Tuesday morning, the victim’s uncle Danny Bowskill wrote on Facebook: “Rest in peace my wonderful niece never thought I would ever be writing this but Leonne Weeks you (were) and still are loved by so many. I’ll be there for your dad and mum all the way.” | On Tuesday morning, the victim’s uncle Danny Bowskill wrote on Facebook: “Rest in peace my wonderful niece never thought I would ever be writing this but Leonne Weeks you (were) and still are loved by so many. I’ll be there for your dad and mum all the way.” |
| The alleyway where Weeks’s body was found, remained cordoned off at both ends on Tuesday morning, with police standing guard. A growing pile of flowers included notes paying tribute to Weeks. “All our thoughts are with you. Heaven has gained an angel. Fly high sweetie,” read one. | The alleyway where Weeks’s body was found, remained cordoned off at both ends on Tuesday morning, with police standing guard. A growing pile of flowers included notes paying tribute to Weeks. “All our thoughts are with you. Heaven has gained an angel. Fly high sweetie,” read one. |
| One woman who had come to the scene to leave flowers and pay her respects said she lived in the area with her young children. “This is a shock to the system. It’s the first time I’ve heard of anything like this happening around here,” she said. | One woman who had come to the scene to leave flowers and pay her respects said she lived in the area with her young children. “This is a shock to the system. It’s the first time I’ve heard of anything like this happening around here,” she said. |
| A neighbour of Weeks’s mother, who declined to be named, said she was appalled by what happened. “You don’t expect it to happen on your doorstep. I’m just off to get her mother a card,” she said. | A neighbour of Weeks’s mother, who declined to be named, said she was appalled by what happened. “You don’t expect it to happen on your doorstep. I’m just off to get her mother a card,” she said. |
| Writing on Twitter before news of the arrest broke, local MP for Rother Valley, Kevin Barron, tweeted: | Writing on Twitter before news of the arrest broke, local MP for Rother Valley, Kevin Barron, tweeted: |
| I am incredibly sad to hear about the discovery of a teenage girl’s body in Dinnington near my constituency office this morning. | I am incredibly sad to hear about the discovery of a teenage girl’s body in Dinnington near my constituency office this morning. |
| I would like to send my condolences to the family and friends of this young girl. We must now allow the police time to investigate. | I would like to send my condolences to the family and friends of this young girl. We must now allow the police time to investigate. |
| Anyone with information is asked to call 101 quoting incident number 256 of 16 January. |