Two men arrested after body found in suitcase as children played nearby

The body was discovered more than 30 miles away from the victim's home

Two men have been arrested in connection with a murder in Wimbledon, as officers discovered a "body in a suitcase" at a park more than 30 miles away.

Police received a report of a potential murder at an address in Kingfisher Court, Wimbledon, at around 10.55pm on Thursday.

No one was found at the property during a police search, but officers believed someone had “come to harm” at the address and launched an investigation, the Met said.

Police arrested a 27-year-old man and a 32-year-old man on suspicion of murder yesterday after they attended Medway police station in Gillingham, Kent, according to the force.

Later that day, officers arrived at Borstal Recreation Ground in Rochester, Kent, where they discovered a "body in a suitcase" close to where a children‘s teddy bear hunt event had been taking place.

A cordon remains in place at the park, and officers have been patrolling the area.

Although formal identification is yet to take place, detectives believe they know the identity of the victim and have contacted his next-of-kin.

The victim and the two men arrested were known to each other, according to the force, with a third man also arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender - since bailed.

One resident, who did not want to be named, had been at the park at a teddy bear hunt for a local nursery fundraising event, and told KentOnline: “I saw the luggage before the police. I was with my niece and nephew, so I was busy keeping them from seeing it.

“What I saw was the suitcase covered in hundreds of flies. I actually heard the buzzing from them first. I noticed that it was a large suitcase and had a snow sledge next to it.”

Detective Inspector Ben Dalloway, who is leading the investigation, said: “Our thoughts remain with the victim’s family, who are understandably distraught at their loss. We will continue to offer them every support.

“This has been a fast-moving investigation, and we are working tirelessly to establish the exact circumstances of the incident.

“Although we have made two arrests and do not believe there is any wider risk to the public, we would ask that anyone with information comes forward to police as soon as possible by calling 101 with CAD 9504/9JUL.”