Sarah Everard: Met officer held over missing woman taken to hospital

A Met police officer arrested after the disappearance of Sarah Everard was taken to hospital with a head injury he suffered while in custody.

The officer is being questioned on suspicion of murder and kidnap after human remains were found in the search for Ms Everard.

The Met said he was treated in hospital but had "returned to a police station".

He was arrested in Kent and is also being questioned about a separate allegation of indecent exposure.

Ms Everard, 33, was last seen on 3 March in Clapham, south London, on her way home from a friend's house.

Human remains were discovered in woodland near Ashford, Kent, on Wednesday but detectives have not yet been able to confirm their identity.

Floral tributes have been left by members of the public at the site where police are continuing to carry out part of their investigation.

Hundreds of officers have been drafted in to help as searches continue in south London and Kent.

A Covid-secure "Reclaim These Streets" event is to be held on Clapham Common on Saturday evening.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was "shocked and deeply saddened by the developments in the Sarah Everard investigation".

"Like the whole country, my thoughts are with her family and friends. We must work fast to find all the answers to this horrifying crime," he added.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said she was "deeply saddened by the developments", adding that "every woman should feel safe to walk our streets without fear of harassment or violence".

Ms Everard, a marketing executive, was last seen in doorbell video footage walking alone down a main road near Clapham at 21:30 GMT, with police saying it was unclear if she reached her home in Brixton.

The former Durham University student, who is originally from York, had been wearing a green rain jacket, navy blue trousers with a white diamond pattern, and turquoise and orange trainers.

In a televised statement on Wednesday, Dame Cressida Dick confirmed officers searching an area near Ashford had "found, very sadly, what appears to be human remains".

The Met Police commissioner said specialist officers had updated Ms Everard's family on the investigation.

Dame Cressida continued: "Sarah's disappearance in these awful and wicked circumstances is every family's worst nightmare.

"I know Londoners will want to know that it is thankfully incredibly rare for a woman to be abducted from our streets.

"But I completely understand that despite this, women in London and the wider public - particularly those in the area where Sarah went missing - will be worried and may well be feeling scared."

Dame Cressida said the arrest of a serving Met Police officer on suspicion of murder had "sent waves of shock and anger through the public and through the whole of the Met".

"I speak on behalf of all my colleagues in the Met when I say we are utterly appalled at this dreadful news," she added. "Our job is to patrol the streets and to protect people."

The arrested officer was responsible for uniformed patrolling of diplomatic premises - including Downing Street and the Palace of Westminster, as well as foreign embassies in London.

He was off duty at the time of Ms Everard's disappearance.

A woman in her 30s was also arrested in Kent on Tuesday evening on suspicion of assisting an offender.

The case has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) because it involves a police officer.

A spokesman said it had been decided that the Met Police would investigate any potential conduct issues linked to the kidnap and murder allegations itself.

The IOPC is currently assessing whether any further measures should be taken in relation to the actions of police after Ms Everard was reported missing.

For more London news follow on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel.