The Metropolitan Police officer suspected of kidnapping and murdering Sarah Everard was taken to hospital for treatment for a head injury sustained in custody.

The suspect, who is in his 40s, was treated, discharged and returned to the police station where he is being held, Scotland Yard confirmed.

The Met said: “The suspect was taken to a hospital for treatment to a head injury sustained while in custody.

“He has since been discharged and returned to custody. We are not prepared to discuss further.”

The officer, who is in the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command, was held on Tuesday night on suspicion of kidnap before being further arrested on suspicion of murder and a separate allegation of indecent exposure the following day.

On Wednesday night, Met Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick said unidentified human remains had been found in an area of woodland in Ashford, in Kent, by detectives investigating Ms Everard’s disappearance.

A woman in her 30s has been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.

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Officers removed vehicles from outside a house being searched in Deal, Kent, where the officer is believed to have lived with his wife and two children.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was “shocked and deeply saddened”, adding: “We must work fast to find all the answers to this horrifying crime.”

The events have prompted an outpouring of shock and anger as women across the country shared their own experiences of feeling unsafe.

Not safe for women

And London Mayor Sadiq Khan admitted the capital’s streets are not safe for women or girls when asked by LBC’s Shelagh Fogarty: “London’s streets are not safe for women, are they?

He said: “No, they aren’t – or for girls – and it’s really important that people of my gender understand that.

“If you’re a woman or a girl, your experiences of our city, in any public space, whether it’s in the workplace on the streets, on public transport is very different to if you are a man or a boy, and it’s really important that people like me in positions of power and influence understand that and take steps to address that.”

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