A young woman was arrested yesterday by detectives hunting the killer of “road rage” victim Lee Harvey.
A young woman was arrested yesterday by detectives hunting the killer of “road rage” victim Lee Harvey.
She was detained shortly after Mr Harvey's fiancee, 27-year-old Tracie Andrews, was discharged from hospital at 11 am following a suicide attempt.
Soon after the arrest an eight-strong team of specialist officers began searching Mr Harvey's maisonette at Alvechurch, Worcestershire.
The curtains were drawn as police used video cameras to film inside the ground-floor flat, which is only a few miles from the murder scene in an isolated country lane.
Miss Andrews had been treated for a suspected drugs overdose at her mother's home on Wednesday, the day after she made an emotional appeal for help to catch her 25-year-old fiance's killer.
His throat had been cut and he was stabbed 15 times a week ago as they drove home after a drink at a pub in Bromsgrove. Miss Andrews, who had black eyes and stitches to her eyebrows, said she was savagely beaten by the burly attacker, the passenger in a Ford Sierra which had been involved in a three-mile chase with them.
She told how it had followed them, flashing its lights, until Mr Harvey stopped and got out to confront the driver.
After a brief argument the driver got back into the Sierra. But then the male passenger emerged and began stabbing Mr Harvey, she said.
Miss Andrews said she was attacked by him as she tried to intervene.
Police found a clear tyre print and were given the names of possible suspects for the killer, who wore a donkey jacket and had a West Midlands accent.
The arrested woman was in hospital last night. West Mercia police refused to name her. A spokesman said: “Shortly after 11 am this morning detectives investigating the murder of Lee Harvey arrested a woman.
“She was taken to Redditch police station and will be interviewed later.”
Police informed MR Harvey's family in advance of the arrest. Earlier, his father Ray had told of his disbelief after hearing that Miss Andrews had taken a suspected overdose just 24 hours after her impassioned television plea.
She had reportedly written two farewell letters before taking a cocktail of paracetamol, aspirin and tranquillisers.
Ray Harvey and his wife Maureen were looking after Miss Andrew's daughter Carla and their son's child, Danielle, while she was treated in the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch.
Last night there was no answer from Miss Andrews's parents' home opposite Mr Harvey's maisonette. Neighbours said her mother Irene and stepfather Alan had not been seen in the past two days.