The serving police officer arrested over the disappearance of a woman in south London was not on duty when she went missing last week, Scotland Yard has said.
A senior officer has expressed hope that Sarah Everard, a 33-year-old marketing executive who went missing after leaving a friend’s house in Clapham at about 9pm last Wednesday, will yet be found safe and well.
“This is a serious and significant development in our search for Sarah and the fact that the man who’s been arrested is a serving Metropolitan police officer is both shocking and deeply disturbing. I recognise the significant concern this will cause,” said Nick Ephgrave, an assistant commissioner.
The Metropolitan police announced late on Tuesday evening that it had arrested one of its own. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday morning, Ephgrave said: “It’s really important that the investigation team are given the space and time to find Sarah and they’re working in all speed to do so.”
He added: “Yesterday evening, officers arrested a serving Metropolitan police officer at an address in Kent in connection with the disappearance of Sarah Everard. This man was taken into custody and remains in custody in a London police station.
“Our inquiries suggest that this officer was not on duty at the time of Sarah’s disappearance.
“At the same time and at the same location, a woman was also arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender. She was also taken into custody and remains so at a London police station as I speak.”
Ephgrave thanked those who had come forward, and he renewed his call for more information, saying anything the police could learn was important.
“As a father myself of four young women, I can only imagine the anguish that Sarah’s family are feeling at this very, very difficult time and my thoughts and prayers and those the entire organisation are with them now,” he said.
The last known sighting of Everard was on Poynders Road, where she was captured on film by a private door camera as she walked alone from the junction at Cavendish Road in the direction of Tulse Hill, south of Brixton.
On Tuesday two officers with search dogs were seen searching outside the nearby Oaklands Estate and gardens in surrounding streets. The previous day, officers were examining a small park close to where Everard’s mobile phone signal was last registered.
Timeline of key events
Wednesday 3 March: Sarah Everard, 33, a marketing executive, goes missing after leaving a friend’s house in Clapham, south London, around 9pm.
6 March: Metropolitan police raise the alarm, saying it was “totally out of character” for Everard not to be in contact with family and friends. Police release a CCTV image of her, saying she was thought to have walked through Clapham Common after leaving her friend’s flat, heading towards her home in Brixton, a journey of around 50 minutes.
7 March: Police release footage taken from a private doorbell-type camera showing Everard was walking alone along the A205 Poynders Road towards Tulse Hill, just south of Brixton. Police say it is unclear whether or not she reached her house. She was last seen wearing a green rain jacket, navy blue trousers with a white diamond pattern and turquoise and orange trainers, and was thought to have been wearing green earphones and a white beanie hat. Scotland Yard says the investigation is being led by its Specialist Crime Command because of the “complex nature” of the probe, which combines searches with house-to-house inquiries.
8 March: Scotland Yard says it remains “open minded as to all possibilities”, while confirming a missing persons investigation. Specialist officers are drafted in from across the Met. Police say they have received more than 120 calls from the public on the case and ask anyone who may have relevant dashcam or other footage to come forward.
9 March: Police use dogs to search gardens in streets around the search site near Everard’s envisaged route home and in the nearby Oaklands Estate. Officers also search a pond in Clapham Common and drains along the A205. The Met sets up a cordon around the Poynders Court housing complex on Poynders Road as part of the search, with forensics officers seen examining the area.
11.59pm, 9 March: The Met says it has arrested a police officer at an address in Kent in connection with Everard’s disappearance, with a woman arrested at the same location on suspicion of assisting an offender. The man and the woman are taken into custody. DCI Katherine Goodwin says the force is still “doing everything we can to find Sarah”.