British man arrested over wife's death in India
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A 50-year-old British man has been arrested in the UK on suspicion of murdering his wife on their honeymoon in India seven years ago.
John Davies's bride Colette, 39, was found dead at the bottom of a ravine at Solan in Himachal Pradesh just a week into the holiday in India in 2004. She had plunged more than 80ft from a viewing point, but Indian police ruled out foul play and a British coroner said that the death was an accident.
However, Colette's family were convinced she died in suspicious circumstances and persuaded their own local police to investigate.
And after flying to India to visit the scene and interview witnesses, officers yesterday arrested Davies.
The couple had married more than a year before going on a delayed honeymoon in 2004, trekking in the Himachal Pradesh region.
South Wales Police would not say when exactly they began their own inquiries but confirmed that a team of officers flew to Solan to review the investigation carried out by the force there.
They visited the spot near the town of Gaura where Davies was found dead and re-interviewed more than a dozen witnesses.
Yesterday they arrested Davies at his 300,000 pounds home in Milton Keynes and took him to Bridgend for questioning.
The couple had lived in a semi-detached house on a quiet estate in the town after they married in October 2002. Colette and her husband John delayed their honeymoon to go trekking near the Giri river.
Detective Inspector Mark Lewis, of South Wales Police, said, 'it was thought Colette fell from a height while on holiday with her husband.
"Her death on February 27, 2004, was investigated by the Himachal Pradesh state police, where no suspicious circumstances were found. But detectives from South Wales travelled to India as part of a review of the case.
"While I consider their arrest to be a positive development in the investigation, I am also appealing for any information surrounding the circumstances of this death.
"Colette's family have been informed of the arrest and continue to be supported by specialist family liaison officers."
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