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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
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| Alice Gross: police say Arnis Zalkalns has murder conviction and is a suspect | Alice Gross: police say Arnis Zalkalns has murder conviction and is a suspect |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| Police yesterday disclosed that a suspect in the disappearance of teenager Alice Gross has a murder conviction and was arrested in connection with an indecent assault on a teenage girl in west London. | Police yesterday disclosed that a suspect in the disappearance of teenager Alice Gross has a murder conviction and was arrested in connection with an indecent assault on a teenage girl in west London. |
| Scotland Yard said Arnis Zalkalns, 41, served a seven-year prison sentence in his native Latvia, where he was jailed in 1998 for the murder of his wife. In 2009 he was arrested in connection with the indecent assault in the Ealing area but the case was dropped. | Scotland Yard said Arnis Zalkalns, 41, served a seven-year prison sentence in his native Latvia, where he was jailed in 1998 for the murder of his wife. In 2009 he was arrested in connection with the indecent assault in the Ealing area but the case was dropped. |
| Alice, 14, went missing after going for a walk in west London on 28 August. CCTV shows Zalkalns on a bicycle around 15 minutes behind Alice. Police believe he would have encountered her. | |
| Detectives spent Wednesday at Zalkalns' west London home. He went missing on 3 September. Police say Zalkalns may be a danger to the public and should not be approached. They ask anyone who believes they have seen him to call 999. | Detectives spent Wednesday at Zalkalns' west London home. He went missing on 3 September. Police say Zalkalns may be a danger to the public and should not be approached. They ask anyone who believes they have seen him to call 999. |
| Det Supt Carl Mehta said: "I think given what we are finding out about his history, clearly he potentially poses a risk to the public." Police still want to find Alice's white iPhone which could provide information about any social media activity relevant to her disappearance. 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 Carl Mehta said: "I think given what we are finding out about his history, clearly he potentially poses a risk to the public." Police still want to find Alice's white iPhone which could provide information about any social media activity relevant to her disappearance. 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 CCTV sighting was at 4.26pm on a bridge crossing the Grand Union canal towards her home. Her phone was still accessing the internet at 5pm. | Just after 3pm she sent a text to her father. Police believe that at this point she intended to go home. The last CCTV sighting was at 4.26pm on a bridge crossing the Grand Union canal towards her home. Her phone was still accessing the internet at 5pm. |
| A Met statement said: "Arnis Zalkalns was seen on CCTV cycling along Brentford Lock at 1600hrs, some 15 minutes after Alice walked that route at 15.45hrs. | A Met statement said: "Arnis Zalkalns was seen on CCTV cycling along Brentford Lock at 1600hrs, some 15 minutes after Alice walked that route at 15.45hrs. |
| "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." |
| 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. | 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. |
| "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 run-up 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. Two men arrested on suspicion of murder have since been eliminated from police inquiries. Police say Zalkalns is white, 1.78m (5ft 10in) tall, 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. | "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 run-up 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. Two men arrested on suspicion of murder have since been eliminated from police inquiries. Police say Zalkalns is white, 1.78m (5ft 10in) tall, 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 name Zalkalns as a suspect presented a dilemma to police chiefs. Police and the media were criticised at the Leveson inquiry after a man was wrongly portrayed as a suspect in 2010 in the disappearance of Joanna Yeates in Bristol. | The decision by Scotland Yard to name Zalkalns as a suspect presented a dilemma to police chiefs. Police and the media were criticised at the Leveson inquiry after a man was wrongly portrayed as a suspect in 2010 in the disappearance of Joanna Yeates in Bristol. |
| 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. | 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. |
| The Home Office could not comment on why someone with a murder conviction in Latvia was allowed into the UK. | The Home Office could not comment on why someone with a murder conviction in Latvia was allowed into the UK. |
| Anyone with information on Alice 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. | Anyone with information on Alice 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. |