00:02Good morning everyone. I'm the Assistant Chief Councillor, Matt Rodman, for beginning this
00:05operation. Thank you for joining us this morning. I'd like to give you an update on where we
00:09find ourselves today. Our investigation is the death of 78-year-old Anne Whittacombe
00:16that has continued to develop over the past 24 hours. Shortly after 9pm on Saturday 11th
00:23July, a 28-year-old white British man was arrested at an address in Rotherham, South
00:29Yorkshire, on suspicion of the murder of Miss Whittacombe. We were supported by officers
00:36from Counter Terrorism Police North East and South Yorkshire Police who carried out the
00:40arrest on behalf of Devlin Cornwall. Miss Whittacombe's family have been informed of the updates and
00:46continue to be supported by our specialist officers. Our thoughts remain with her family and friends
00:53at this incredibly difficult time. At this point, there is still no information to suggest
00:59that this is a terrorism-related incident, and at this point we are not looking for anyone
01:04else in connection with this murder. We retain privacy of this investigation and detectives
01:10remain open-minded about the potential motive. At this stage, there is nothing to suggest
01:17that it was politically motivated. A corner is still in place as officers continue inquiries
01:23at the scene, and we anticipate that this will be the case for the next few days. The local community
01:29can also expect to see a heightened police presence in the coming weeks to provide reassurance to
01:34them. However, I wish to reassure you that we do not have any information to suggest that
01:39there is any wider threat to the public at this time. We are grateful to our colleagues in South Yorkshire
01:46for the assistance that they provided, and they will continue to support through our investigation.
01:51Over the past few days, we have received in excess of 120 reports of information to assist us
01:57in our investigation into our major incident public portal. I would just like to thank all
02:02those who have taken the time to contribute that information, and ask anyone who has not
02:06yet submitted any information that they hold to do so as a priority. We are aware of online
02:13and public speculation, particularly with regards to its motive. Again, I urge people not to
02:21share or engage with that speculation. It is unhelpful, it doesn't aid our investigation,
02:29and particularly it is distressing to the family and friends of Ms Ridiccan. We understand
02:35that there is a huge appetite for information, but progressing and protecting the integrity of
02:39our investigation is paramount now. We recognise there is still some way to go in this case,
02:44and the release of any information will be a decision made on an operational basis.
02:51I would like to thank the local communities, the wider public and the media for their ongoing
02:56support and patience, and ask them to continue to support us in the next stage of this investigation.
03:04Any relevant information, images or footage, can be reported via our major incident public portal,
03:11and you can follow the links and QR codes available on our website to achieve this.
03:17Information can also be passed anonymously to the independent charity, Crime Stoppers.
03:23Thank you very much, I would like to hand over now to the Chief Hunter for the Say a few
03:26words.
03:28Thank you Matt, and good morning everybody. Thank you first of all to Matt, the Senior
03:36Investigating Officer, and the wider teams here in Devon Cornwall that have mounted an extraordinary response
03:43to a horrific murder of a very prominent public victim. The support that Devon Cornwall Police has received
03:51from our colleagues and our partners, both in the region and nationally, has been second to none.
04:00The operation has been running at a lightning pace for 48 hours, and I am really pleased that we have
04:07a suspect
04:08firmly in custody, and that will undergo some further work from us today. Well done to all.
04:15This is clearly British policing at its very best. Thank you to media colleagues for your patience
04:23and working with us over the last two days, allowing us to focus on the most important thing here,
04:29which is to catch a dangerous man bringing to justice. My appreciation to you for that, thank you.
04:36And finally, my thanks also goes to the public in giving us the information that we need to progress this
04:44investigation.
04:45And I reiterate the ongoing message and direction around speculation, and how I am helpful
04:51and how that can hinder a major investigation of this nature. Thank you.
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