Bootle Murders: Man Arrested In London

Police hunting a man over the deaths of his mother and sister in Bootle have arrested a suspect in London.

A 26-year-old man was arrested at 7.50 this morning at Euston Station, following a report from a member of the public, police said.

He was arrested by British Transport Police over the murders of Bernadette and Sarah Fox.

Police had wanted to speak to Peter Fox, 26, after the bodies were found at separate properties in Bootle, last week.

The body of Mrs Fox, 57, was found at an address in Brookhill Road, Bootle, at 4am on Friday.

Her 27-year-old daughter was discovered at a property in Worcester Road at around 9.15pm on Thursday.

Post-mortem examinations found that Mrs Fox died of asphyxiation while her daughter had been repeatedly stabbed.

Detective Chief Inspector Dave Rooney, said: "I can confirm that a 26-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of the murders of Bernadette and Sarah Fox this morning and is being brought back to Merseyside.

"A significant amount of work has been carried out throughout the weekend with the Metropolitan Police and British Transport Police and I would like to thank them for their assistance.

"I would also like to thank the media and the public for their support during the weekend, which has helped us enormously."

Detectives had previously stated that they believed Fox had travelled to the London area.

CCTV stills of him at Liverpool Lime Street and Euston stations on Wednesday night were released.

Police warned the public not to approach him but to dial 999 if they saw him.

In a statement issued through police, a family spokesman said: "We are absolutely devastated following the loss of Bernadette and Sarah and are still trying to come to terms with what has happened to them both.

"Bernadette, who was a mother of three and grandmother of three, was a very outgoing and lovely person who wouldn't harm anyone.

"In fact she only ever had nice things to say about people. She was so caring and would help anyone.

"And Sarah was loved by her family and well liked by her friends and neighbours.

"She was a fantastic aunty and was a cheeky, bubbly and outgoing person who loved her dog. They will both be greatly missed."