Murder arrest of man after body found by coast

A man arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman was found dead at the bottom of cliffs in Alderney has been transferred to Guernsey for questioning, police have said.

Emergency services were called to an area known as The Guns on the island's west coast after Guernsey Police were alerted shortly after 23:00 BST on Sunday.

A search and rescue operation was launched and, at about 04:28 on Monday, Channel Islands Air Search reported the first sighting of a person in the water at the base of the cliffs. A woman was later confirmed dead.

Det Supt Jonathan Bancroft said a 44-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of murder and was now in police custody.

Bancroft said the man had initially been taken to hospital in Alderney in the early hours but was later transferred to Guernsey.

The suspect was "sufficiently well to be taken into police custody", he said.

Inquiries were at an early stage and police were working to establish exactly what had happened.

Bancroft said officers were not currently looking for any other suspects and did not believe there was an ongoing risk to the wider community.

Formal identification of the woman had not yet taken place and police said they were limiting the information released because of the impact on her family and the "close-knit" island community.

It is the first suspected murder case in Alderney in about 30 years, according to police.

Bancroft said: "This is a fast moving investigation so we would ask the public to refrain from speculation while initial inquiries are completed.

"We are keeping an open mind as to the circumstances and our inquiries will be guided by the evidence."

Police said specialist officers were supporting the woman's family and urged anyone with information that could help the investigation to come forward.

Emergency services were expected to remain highly visible across Alderney while inquiries continued.

At about 14:00 BST a police cordon was in place at The Guns and the high street in the island's only town, St Anne, was quiet with several shops closed.

BBC reporter Josh Day said the incident "has had a noticeable impact on the small community here".

He said: "Walking through the high street today, you can feel the impact.

"It's quiet, several shops are closed, and there's a sombre atmosphere. One local person described it as a very sad day for the island."

The most northerly of the Channel Islands, Alderney has a population of about 2,000 and is known for its unspoilt natural beauty, dramatic coastline, sandy beaches and rich wildlife.

It was occupied by the Germans in 1940 and The Guns forms part of a major military fortification and gun emplacement site on its western coast.

Battery Annes features four prominent concrete coast artillery emplacements, personnel shelters and reserve ammunition bunkers, according to Visit Alderney.

Anyone with information that could assist the investigation has been asked to contact police.

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