Dramatic ‘hard stop’ as police arrest suspect in Sir Richard Sutton killing case

Moment armed police arrest man over stabbing of multi-millionaire
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Armed police carried out a dramatic “hard stop” in west London to arrest a suspect in connection with the murder of one of Britain’s richest men.

Hotelier Sir Richard Sutton, 83, was fatally attacked while his wife Anne Schreiber, 65, suffered knife wounds at a property in Dorset on Wednesday evening. She was airlifted to Bristol’s Southmead Hospital where she was in a critical condition.

Three hours after the alarm was raised, armed Met officers forcibly stopped a Range Rover 100 miles away in Chiswick High Road. It is believed the vehicle had been tracked when it left Dorset then travelled across Wiltshire, Hampshire, Berkshire and Surrey.

Helicopters were also scrambled before elite SCO19 firearms officers moved in at 10.30pm. Pictures from the scene show the car had been boxed in by at least four police vehicles. Police confirmed a 34-year-old man had been arrested and taken to hospital with injuries.

Officers said he was known to the victims. Maureen Kane, whose Chiswick home overlooks the scene, told Sky News she heard a crash and saw armed officers pull a man out of the car. “About 30 or 40 other police cars arrived and I saw lots of people shouting,” she said.

“The man who was in the car was injured, with around 20 policemen around him, shouting ‘What’s your name?’ and then the ambulance came.

“He looked pretty badly injured. He was taken away in an ambulance after being treated on the roadside for about 30 minutes.” Police were today waiting to question the man in connection with Sir Richard’s death. The baronet, described as “a charming country gentleman”, was said to be worth £301 million, placing him 435th on The Sunday Times Rich List. He owned a portfolio of land and property including the five-star Sheraton Grand in Park Lane and the Athenaeum in Piccadilly.

Sir Richard married first wife Fiamma in 1959 and had two children, David, now 61, and Caroline, 55, and five grandchildren. He later married Danish physiotherapist Anne, who has three children from a previous relationship.

Police went to Sir Richard’s £2 million estate in a hamlet near Gillingham, Dorset, after a call from a member of the public concerned for the couple’s welfare. A neighbour said: “You’d never imagine something like this could happen. They are lovely people.”

A Sir Richard Sutton Limited spokesman said: “We are deeply saddened and devastated by the sudden death of Sir Richard Sutton. He was a caring, generous and warm family man, who genuinely regarded those who worked for him as part of his extended family.”

Dorset Police have appealed for anyone with information to contact them. Detective Inspector Simon Huxter said: “Our thoughts are with the family of the man who sadly died and the injured woman.”

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