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/2019/apr/30/man-arrested-after-womens-bodies-found-in-london-freezer
The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Pair arrested after women’s bodies found in London freezer | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Police investigating the discovery of two women’s bodies in a freezer at a home in east London have arrested two men on suspicion of murder. | |
| The men, 50 and 34, are being held in custody as police work to identify the deceased and trace their next of kin. A crime scene remains in place around the small block of flats in Vandome Close, Canning Town, where the two bodies were found after a police search following concerns about the welfare of an occupant on Friday 26 April. | |
| Officers in protective clothing were collecting evidence and removing it from the building, which contains six flats, on Tuesday afternoon as residents went in and out. | |
| One of the flats’ windows was boarded up and was said to have been like that for some time. Another had been broken more recently – by police, according to neighbours – and had a black sheet across it. | |
| One resident of the block, who did not want to be named, said he had only just learned about two bodies being found. “I’m astonished. It’s a little community,” he said. “We’re all tight-knit around here – everybody knows everybody.” | |
| Another described life in the local area. “It’s shit around here. There’s too much violence,” said retired neighbour Ranford Strachan. “About three weeks ago I heard two women screaming so loudly from next door, I thought it was just a quarrel.” | |
| As officers conducted their investigation, a commotion erupted at the top of the road and punches appeared to be thrown amid heightened community tensions and concern over the women found dead. | |
| Several weeks ago a man working at a local shop was stabbed, and residents spoke knowingly of “what goes on” locally but refused to provide further details for fear of being identified as a “grass”. | |
| As part of their investigation, police had showed neighbours a photo of a woman who has been missing for about a year, amid speculation that she was one of the people found dead. “She was always nice, charming,” said one resident, who added that the woman had a history of drug abuse. | |
| Local councillors were walking around the area near Custom House station to reassure residents and collect facts. “This was a horrific crime and the council is working closely with the police to get to the bottom of it,” said Cllr James Beckles, the cabinet member for crime and community safety. “We’re encouraging residents to provide evidence to police confidentially.” | |
| Nearby, on Monk Drive, officers were guarding a property while it was searched. Residents claimed this was where one of the men was arrested. | |
| One woman, who wanted to be named as “Bud”, said she had heard he looked shocked when he was taken away, adding: “They arrested him, put him in the back of the van and that’s it … Everything goes on in there – drugs, women going in and out.” | |
| The Metropolitan police would not confirm whether the address was connected with the double murder inquiry. | |
| The discovery of the bodies left nearby residents shaken. One man who lives in the block and who did not want to be named, said: “I’m astonished, it’s a little community. We’re all tight-knit around here, everybody knows everybody.” | |
| Others expressed concern for the welfare of a woman from the area who had been missing for 12 months. | Others expressed concern for the welfare of a woman from the area who had been missing for 12 months. |
| A 49-year-old man, who has lived on the street for 18 years and did not want to be named, said he had spoken to police. “They told me that a body had been found, they showed me a photo of a woman but I didn’t know her,” he said. “I’ve just heard on the news that it was two bodies. [I’m] just wondering why?” | A 49-year-old man, who has lived on the street for 18 years and did not want to be named, said he had spoken to police. “They told me that a body had been found, they showed me a photo of a woman but I didn’t know her,” he said. “I’ve just heard on the news that it was two bodies. [I’m] just wondering why?” |
| A 29-year-old, who did not want to be named, said the area suffered from “petty crime” but the discovery of bodies was unusual. “This is not common … it doesn’t put you at ease, you don’t know [under] what circumstances these people were killed. When you don’t know, you’re concerned,” he said. | A 29-year-old, who did not want to be named, said the area suffered from “petty crime” but the discovery of bodies was unusual. “This is not common … it doesn’t put you at ease, you don’t know [under] what circumstances these people were killed. When you don’t know, you’re concerned,” he said. |
| UK news | UK news |
| news | news |
| Share on Facebook | Share on Facebook |
| Share on Twitter | Share on Twitter |
| Share via Email | Share via Email |
| Share on LinkedIn | Share on LinkedIn |
| Share on Pinterest | Share on Pinterest |
| Share on WhatsApp | Share on WhatsApp |
| Share on Messenger | Share on Messenger |
| Reuse this content | Reuse this content |