Ghana: Suspect in British actress' murder to be extradited

The fugitive partner of slain former EastEnders actress, Sian Blake, will be extradited to face criminal investigations in the United Kingdom from Ghana, where he was arrested on Saturday, Ghanaian police detectives said on Sunday.

Arthur Simpson-Kent, 48, was arrested in connection with the murder of Blake, an actress who once featured in the popular British soap opera EastEnders, and her two sons Zachary and Amon. The family had been reported missing in mid-December.

The bodies of Blake, 43, and her sons were later discovered in the garden of their London home, Metropolitan police said.

Simpson-Kent was arrested near the town of Butre in the Western region of Ghana with the assistance of local communities and their chiefs, Prosper Agblor, head of the country’s Criminal Investigations Department, told reporters.

After fleeing London, Simpson-Kent travelled to Glasgow in Scotland before flying to Accra via Amsterdam on December 19.

Although police determined he arrived in Ghana on December 19, he had entered December 7 on his disembarkation form as his date of arrival, Agblor said, although he could not say whether or not the discrepancy in the date was deliberate.

“Enquiries made at the Kotoka International Airport confirmed that Arthur Simpson-Kent arrived in Ghana on December 19, 2015. However, our further investigation revealed he entered December 7, 2015 on his disembarkation form as the date on which he arrived in Ghana,” said Agblor.

Simpson-Kent was escorted to a police meeting room on Sunday, where he appeared calm, wearing grey jeans and a matching T-shirt that read ‘Wilderness’.

Simpson-Kent spent nearly an hour in the room where he sat still in his wooden chair gazing at a line of cameras in front of him.

“The fugitive is in our custody awaiting an official request from the British government via the diplomatic channel for his extradition to the United Kingdom. Thank you,” Agblor told reporters.

Graeme Gwyn, detective chief inspector of the British Homicide Command said the suspect would not be interrogated while in Ghanaian custody.

He thanked Ghanaian authorities for their help in locating Simpson-Kent.