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 http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/sep/18/alice-gross-police-arnis-zalkalns-murder-conviction-suspect
The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Alice Gross: police say Arnis Zalkalns has murder conviction and is suspect | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Scotland Yard has said 41-year-old Arnis Zalkalns is a suspect in the disappearance of teenager Alice Gross, who went missing last month. | Scotland Yard has said 41-year-old Arnis Zalkalns is a suspect in the disappearance of teenager Alice Gross, who went missing last month. |
| Police say Zalkalns had a murder conviction in his native Latvia, where he was jailed in 1998 and served a seven-year sentence. They say in 2009 he was arrested in connection with an indecent assault on a teenage girl in the Ealing area of west London but the case was dropped. | Police say Zalkalns had a murder conviction in his native Latvia, where he was jailed in 1998 and served a seven-year sentence. They say in 2009 he was arrested in connection with an indecent assault on a teenage girl in the Ealing area of west London but the case was dropped. |
| Alice, 14, went missing after going for a walk in west London on 28 August. Detectives believe Zalkalns came across Alice on the day she went missing. | Alice, 14, went missing after going for a walk in west London on 28 August. Detectives believe Zalkalns came across Alice on the day she went missing. |
| CCTV shows him in the area where the teenager was walking. Zalkalns is pictured on a bike around 15 minutes behind Alice. Police believe he would have come across her as he was cycling in the same direction that Alice was walking. | CCTV shows him in the area where the teenager was walking. Zalkalns is pictured on a bike around 15 minutes behind Alice. Police believe he would have come across her as he was cycling in the same direction that Alice was walking. |
| Detectives trying to find her spent Wednesday at Zalkalns' west London home. The 41-year-old went missing on 3 September, and the search conducted by police was more extensive than one usually carried out for a missing person. | Detectives trying to find her spent Wednesday at Zalkalns' west London home. The 41-year-old went missing on 3 September, and the search conducted by police was more extensive than one usually carried out for a missing person. |
| Police say Zalkalns may pose a danger to the public and should not be approached. Instead they ask anyone who believes they have seen him to call the police on the emergency 999 number. | Police say Zalkalns may pose a danger to the public and should not be approached. Instead they ask anyone who believes they have seen him to call the police on the emergency 999 number. |
| Detective superintendent Carl Mehta said: "I think given what we are finding out about his antecedents and his history, clearly he potentially poses a risk to the public." | Detective superintendent Carl Mehta said: "I think given what we are finding out about his antecedents and his history, clearly he potentially poses a risk to the public." |
| Police said their search for Zalkalns and naming him as a suspect was one line of inquiry. | Police said their search for Zalkalns and naming him as a suspect was one line of inquiry. |
| They still want to find Alice's white iPhone which could provide information about her social media activity and whether that is of any relevance to her disappearance. | They still want to find Alice's white iPhone which could provide information about her social media activity and whether that is of any relevance to her disappearance. |
| Det Supt Mehta said: "This remains an investigation focused on finding Alice, clearly we are also seeking Arnis in respect of her disappearance and we urgently need to find him and question him about that. | Det Supt Mehta said: "This remains an investigation focused on finding Alice, clearly we are also seeking Arnis in respect of her disappearance and we urgently need to find him and question him about that. |
| "We have no evidence that Alice is not alive and no evidence that Alice has come to harm. However, all lines of inquiry remain open at this point." | "We have no evidence that Alice is not alive and no evidence that Alice has come to harm. However, all lines of inquiry remain open at this point." |
| Alice left her home in Hanwell, west London, at around 1pm on 28 August, and CCTV images recovered by police show her walking by the Brent river, Grand Union canal and around the Brentford and Kew areas. | Alice left her home in Hanwell, west London, at around 1pm on 28 August, and CCTV images recovered by police show her walking by the Brent river, Grand Union canal and around the Brentford and Kew areas. |
| Just after 3pm she sent a text to her father. Police believe that at this point she intended to go home. The last sighting of her captured on CCTV was at 4.26pm on a bridge crossing the Grand Union canal. She was walking in the direction of her home. | Just after 3pm she sent a text to her father. Police believe that at this point she intended to go home. The last sighting of her captured on CCTV was at 4.26pm on a bridge crossing the Grand Union canal. She was walking in the direction of her home. |
| Her phone was still accessing the internet at 5pm, which is something the phone may have done by itself or because someone was using it. The phone has not been recovered. | Her phone was still accessing the internet at 5pm, which is something the phone may have done by itself or because someone was using it. The phone has not been recovered. |
| In a statement the Met explained why Zalkalns was a suspect: "Arnis Zalkalns was seen on CCTV cycling along Brentford Lock at 1600hrs, some 15 minutes after Alice walked that route at 1545hrs. | In a statement the Met explained why Zalkalns was a suspect: "Arnis Zalkalns was seen on CCTV cycling along Brentford Lock at 1600hrs, some 15 minutes after Alice walked that route at 1545hrs. |
| "Detectives believe he is likely to have come across Alice as they were both going in the same direction, north along the canal towpath. What, if anything, happened there is now one of the focuses of this investigation." | "Detectives believe he is likely to have come across Alice as they were both going in the same direction, north along the canal towpath. What, if anything, happened there is now one of the focuses of this investigation." |
| Det Supt Carl Mehta, from the homicide and major crime command, said: "I want the public's help. On Thursday 28 August Arnis Zalkalns left work in Isleworth at about 3.30pm on his bike. Did you see him that afternoon? Either on his own or with a teenage girl? | Det Supt Carl Mehta, from the homicide and major crime command, said: "I want the public's help. On Thursday 28 August Arnis Zalkalns left work in Isleworth at about 3.30pm on his bike. Did you see him that afternoon? Either on his own or with a teenage girl? |
| "I also need to hear from anyone who knew Arnis whom we have not yet spoken to. His family and work colleagues have stated he was behaving normally in both the days before and after Alice's disappearance. They are deeply concerned about his disappearance. | "I also need to hear from anyone who knew Arnis whom we have not yet spoken to. His family and work colleagues have stated he was behaving normally in both the days before and after Alice's disappearance. They are deeply concerned about his disappearance. |
| "Arnis has not been seen since Wednesday 3 September. I want anyone who may have seen him after that date, or who may have helped him by giving him money or somewhere to stay, to call and speak to us. It is really important that we trace Arnis and speak to him about Alice's disappearance. | "Arnis has not been seen since Wednesday 3 September. I want anyone who may have seen him after that date, or who may have helped him by giving him money or somewhere to stay, to call and speak to us. It is really important that we trace Arnis and speak to him about Alice's disappearance. |
| "Alice used social networking sites, Facebook, Twitter and Ask.fm. I'm asking anyone who may have been talking to Alice on these sites in the runup to the day she disappeared to speak to us." | "Alice used social networking sites, Facebook, Twitter and Ask.fm. I'm asking anyone who may have been talking to Alice on these sites in the runup to the day she disappeared to speak to us." |
| A bag recovered three miles from her home had a spare pair of underpants, a lunch box containing wrappers from the food she had eaten and the shoes she had been wearing when she left the family home. | A bag recovered three miles from her home had a spare pair of underpants, a lunch box containing wrappers from the food she had eaten and the shoes she had been wearing when she left the family home. |
| Two men arrested on suspicion of murder have since been eliminated from police inquiries. | Two men arrested on suspicion of murder have since been eliminated from police inquiries. |
| Police say Zalkalns is white, 5ft 10ins, of stocky build with dark brown hair, usually worn in a ponytail. He normally cycles to work on a red Trek mountain bike or a racing bike. | Police say Zalkalns is white, 5ft 10ins, of stocky build with dark brown hair, usually worn in a ponytail. He normally cycles to work on a red Trek mountain bike or a racing bike. |
| The decision by Scotland Yard to officially name Zalkalns to the media as a suspect presented a dilemma to police chiefs. | The decision by Scotland Yard to officially name Zalkalns to the media as a suspect presented a dilemma to police chiefs. |
| Police and the media were criticised after a man was wrongly portrayed as a suspect in 2010 in the disappearance of Joanna Yeates in Bristol. | Police and the media were criticised after a man was wrongly portrayed as a suspect in 2010 in the disappearance of Joanna Yeates in Bristol. |
| Both police and the media were criticised over their actions in that case at the Leveson inquiry. | Both police and the media were criticised over their actions in that case at the Leveson inquiry. |
| Christopher Jefferies, who was proved innocent, was arrested over the disappearance of Yeates, triggering large scale media coverage. He won damages from media organisations after saying he was vilified. | Christopher Jefferies, who was proved innocent, was arrested over the disappearance of Yeates, triggering large scale media coverage. He won damages from media organisations after saying he was vilified. |
| Earlier this week police released the news that Zalkalns was missing and that they wished to speak to him. But as inquiries in Latvia and information from CCTV came in, they decided to publicly name him as a suspect. | Earlier this week police released the news that Zalkalns was missing and that they wished to speak to him. But as inquiries in Latvia and information from CCTV came in, they decided to publicly name him as a suspect. |
| The home office could not comment on why someone with a murder conviction in Latvia was allowed into the United Kingdom. | The home office could not comment on why someone with a murder conviction in Latvia was allowed into the United Kingdom. |
| Anyone with any information is asked to contact the investigation team on 020 8358 0100, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. A reward of £20,000 is on offer for information leading police to find Alice. | Anyone with any information is asked to contact the investigation team on 020 8358 0100, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. A reward of £20,000 is on offer for information leading police to find Alice. |