Huddersfield man held over murder of boxer Brett Flournoy

Devon and Cornwall Police said he was arrested today in Huddersfield, in connection with the deaths of Brett Flournoy and David Griffiths, who went missing in Cornwall last month.

Officers also confirmed that a van unearthed in a field outside the Cornish town of St Austell last Friday contained two bodies, which have yet to be formally identified.

Detective Inspector Costa Nassaris said: “The investigation continues to move at a fast pace. Earlier today a 25-year-old man was arrested in the Huddersfield area of West Yorkshire on suspicion of murder. This man will now be transported to Cornwall for questioning by detectives.

“The families have been updated on the progress of the investigation and our thoughts are with them at this terrible time.”

Mr Griffiths, originally from Plymouth but living in Bracknell, Berkshire, and Mr Flournoy, a professional boxer from the Wirral, Merseyside, were last seen on Thursday June 16.

They are known to have arrived in Cornwall at around 7.30pm for what police called a “social visit”.

It is thought the two men, both in their early 30s, were travelling in a white Citroen Berlingo van, registration A10 VVR which had “Tile Style” written in brown on both sides.

Mr Flournoy is known to have picked Mr Griffiths up in the van from the car park on the Plymouth side of the Tamar Bridge, which links Devon and Cornwall, at around 7pm on June 16.

It is thought the men travelled across to Saltash in east Cornwall but were not seen alive again. Police said last week that, despite having no bodies, they were treating it as a double-murder inquiry.

A link to illegal drugs is one line of inquiry being followed by the team of up to 60 police officers investigating the murders.

Detectives using cadaver dogs and specialist underground search equipment found human remains and a van full of soil on land at Trenance Downs, north of St Austell last Friday.

Ross Stone, 28, appeared before Bodmin magistrates the following day charged with disposing of a corpse to obstruct a coroner and was remanded in custody to appear at Truro Crown Court on July 22.

Mr Nassaris said today: “We can now confirm that we’ve recovered two bodies from the vehicle that was buried on farmland near St Austell.

“A post-mortem examination has been conducted, but at this stage the bodies haven’t been formally identified. This is expected to take some time.”