Police commissioner apologises for bodies claim

Alison Hernandez has apologised for comments she made about an ongoing murder investigation in Cornwall

A police and crime commissioner has apologised for claiming the remains of multiple people had been found in woodland at the centre of a murder probe.

Devon and Cornwall Police said the body of one man had been recovered from woods at Sticker, near St Austell, and no other remains had been found.

The region's Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Alison Hernandez, who represents the Conservative Party, told a streamed meeting on Friday that multiple bodies had been found. She has since apologised "for any alarm this may have caused".

She said: "The police have operational primacy over these matters. Any investigation will unfold rapidly and I was not in possession of all the facts at that time."

Det Supt Jon Bancroft said: "I can categorically state that we have recovered remains believed to be those of Daniel Coleman only from an area of woodland in Sticker."

"No other remains have been located at this scene to date," he added.

Police and forensic experts have been carrying out extensive inquiries in woodland since the discovery of the body of Daniel Coleman, 43, was made.

James Desborough, 39, is accused of murdering Mr Coleman, from St Austell, on a date between June 2 and July 7. He is due back before Truro Crown Court next month.

Hernandez was answering questions at the Police and Crime Panel meeting when she said: "We have got a huge forensics tent down there and lots of forensics officers, obviously we've found dead bodies in that wood.

"We're just trying to establish how many there may be at this point in time and whether we are aware of who they are or what might have happened to them.

"So we also don't know how long they may have been there, some of them."

Police and crime commissioners are elected officials whose role is to help ensure that police forces function effectively. They do not run those forces themselves.

Det Supt Bancroft said: "We currently have three separate murder investigations being conducted in the Cornwall area.

"I have oversight of all of these investigations at this time, and can confirm they are being carried out independently of each other and are not believed to be linked.

He added: "It is imperative that we continue to respect the integrity of the formal court process and ensure the administration of justice is not compromised in any way.

"We hope members of the public understand that, for this reason, we cannot comment further on the defendant or the investigation.

"I would also urge people not to speculate on this case, particularly on social media, and risk prejudicing these proceedings.

"Publication of material which does so could lead to a criminal offence under the Contempt of Court Act."

'Apologise for any alarm'

In a later statement, Hernandez said: "In trying to be helpful I responded to an operational question at the Police and Crime Panel today, however, I was not fully up to date with the facts of the investigation.

"I apologise for any alarm this may have caused."

Police are also investigating the discovery of the body of Lee Hockey, 50, who was found in woodland between Truro and Probus on July 1.

A third murder inquiry is under way following a fatal fire at a residential property in Newquay on July 22.

The body of a man in his 30s was found in the property and a 33-year-old man from Bolton was arrested on suspicion of murder.

Hernandez made headlines in 2017 when she suggested on BBC Radio that armed members of the public could be a "solution" if there was a terrorist attack in Cornwall.

"I'm just saying... let's officially have a look at that and see what would be the implications of it," she said.