The fiancée of the “road rage” victim Lee Harvey was yesterday arrested by police hunting his killer.
Tracie Andrews, 27, was taken to Redditch police station, where she was interviewed as part of the investigation into the murder of Mr Harvey, whose throat was slashed in a savage knife attack. Detectives would neither confirm nor deny that Miss Andrews was under arrest, and did not name the woman being interviewed.
“The woman has not been arrested on suspicion of murder but arrested in connection with the murder inquiry into Lee Harvey's death,” said a spokesman for West Mercia police. Police earlier stated briefly that they had arrested a 27-year-old woman shortly after 11am. “She was taken to Redditch police station where she will be interviewed later today.”
It is believed that Miss Andrews was taken directly from Alexandra Hospital in Redditch, where she had been treated since Wednesday night for a suspected overdose of sleeping pills. She was discharged from hospital at around 11.30am but later readmitted. Police were later seen going to the flat in Alvechurch, Worcestershire, that had been shared by Mr Harvey, 25, and Miss Andrews, a former barmaid and model. Seven uniformed officers entered the property without commenting. Several carried large paper sacks.
Mr Harvey's father Ray said that Supt Ian Johnston, who is leading the murder hunt, visited him at his home in Thornton Heath, Birmingham, to tell him of an arrest. “But we do not know any more than that a 27-year-old woman is in custody,” he said. Mr Harvey died in the road after he was stabbed 15 times and his throat was cut in the attack late last Sunday evening in Alvechurch.
Earlier this week, Miss Andrews, with black eyes, bruising and stitches to her eyebrows, made a tearful appeal at a news conference for information about the killer. She described him as fat and “starey”. Miss Andrews, who miscarried earlier this year and was planning to marry Mr Harvey next summer, described what happened after her boyfriend, driving a white Escort RS 2000 Turbo, overtook a dark, F-registration Sierra.
“The first time I was aware they were following us was when they were coming up close and flashing their lights. Lee was slowing down and speeding up again. He was doing about 60mph . . . I was shouting at Lee to slow down and just ignore them. It was a case of both Lee and the other person playing cat and mouse with each other for a while. Then they overtook us and pulled in.
“Lee decided to pull in and he got out of the car. There was some sort of argument going on. They were calling each other names, and there was a lot of swearing. The driver walked away and I tried to tell Lee to leave it.”
Miss Andrews said: “I saw the man hit Lee, I don't know with what. I got out of the car. I came round the back of the car. I went over to the man and we had a confrontation. I told him to leave us alone and he called me a slut and punched me in the face. When I got up, he was walking back to the car. Lee was on the floor. I just went into shock. Lee was just lovely - kind, generous, funny.”