Shamed Met Police detective 'lied about wife's death in Barbados'

A shamed police detective lied about the circumstances of his wife's death in a Barbados hotel room, it has been reported.Warren Arter abused his partner Rebekah for ten years, and told a string of conflicting stories in the hours after she died in June 2024.He was said to have been acting 'suspiciously' on the night, and Rebekah's cause of death has never been established by British authorities.But the Metropolitan Police, where Arter had led a unit investigating rape cases, decided against sending anyone to the Caribbean to look into the death.Arter was arrested days after arriving back in the UK on suspicion of abusing another woman, and took his own life at 54 in a cell at HMP Wandsworth.Now, hotel staff have said that Arter seemed to be 'trying to find the right story that fits' to explain what happened, but that 'none of them added up'.Rebekah's family has accused the Met of failing her, and the force has acknowledged that 'opportunities to prevent his offending were missed'.Arter first met Rebekah in 2006 when she reported domestic abuse to the Met, as she was escaping an abusive relationship.They became romantically involved and moved in together, and three years later Arter was appointed as head of a unit in south-east London investigating rape cases. Warren Arter killed himself at 54, two weeks after the death of his wife in a hotel room in Barbados Rebekah's cause of death was recorded by local authorities as inflammation of the lungs, but a British coroner said they could not accept the findings He was later suspended over his conduct with eight alleged victims by the police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), though never received a conviction.Arter spent seven years on suspension, still receiving his full detective inspector salary, until he was dismissed in 2023.Throughout that time, he subjected Rebekah to sexual and domestic abuse, coercive control, and at times drugged her, the BBC reports.Her suffering culminated in tragedy when, on June 28, 2024, she was found dead and covered in blood whilst the couple were staying at the luxury O2 Beach Club.Arter called hotel staff to say his wife had become unwell, and recorded a video in the hotel room, in which he was said to be crying 'crocodile tears' and undertaking performative CPR.Andrew, a security guard, told BBC Panorama that he had to stop Arter going to a nearby street party in the immediate aftermath.He says that Arter's story about what had happened changed over the course of the day.Initially, Arter claimed Rebekah had fallen near a chest of drawers - though her body was lying some distance away, near the kitchen. Arter and Rebekah first met when she reported domestic abuse to the Metropolitan Police, where Arter eventually headed up a unit investigating rape cases Arter subjected Rebekah to a campaign of domestic and sexual abuseWhen police arrived, Arter told them he had found Rebekah where she lay, and he later told family back home that she had been unwell.He reportedly sent text messages suggesting alternative causes of death, including that she had 'choked' or that her drink had been spiked.Andrew said: 'He was just trying to find the right story that fits and none of them added up.'Rebekah's daughter-in-law, Lacey, says she heard from Arter that the pair had been asleep for 18 hours, and that he had awoken to find her dead.She said: 'He was outright lying. He was forgetting what he was telling people.'Other hotel staff said they had been concerned by Arter's behaviour, saying he had been 'controlling', while Rebekah appeared intoxicated much of the time.Security supervisor Kenneth said Arter 'didn't allow Rebekah to do anything on her own'.A third member of the team said they suspected Arter had been 'drugging' his wife. Andrew, a security guard at the hotel where Rebekah died, said Arter's story changed several times The pair had been staying at the luxury O2 Beach Club in Barbados when Rebekah died on June 28, 2024In the hours after Rebekah died, Arter visited the spa and asked when Rebekah had last had a massage.The receptionist said the question felt odd, like he was trying to get his story straight.Back in the UK, Lacey and her husband Elliot, Rebekah's son, visited Bexleyheath Police Station to report her death and raise their concerns Arter may have been involved.Lacey said: 'The moment I gave Warren's name, it was like chaos - we had sergeants coming down to the front desk. But it really wasn't about Rebekah, it was more about Warren.'An inquest in the UK later found that Rebekah's organs had been inexplicably 'chopped up' into small pieces by a pathologist in Barbados.A UK pathologist who examined her body after it had been repatriated said this served no medical purpose, and destroyed vital evidence.Rebekah's cause of death was recorded in Barbados as aspiration pneumonitis - meaning inflammation of the lungs.The authorities said there was no sign of violence or of foul play, and said toxicology reports had not been ordered because they believed Rebekah had died from natural causes.But the British coroner said he could not accept these findings, and recorded an open verdict.He concluded that Rebekah's death likely involved intoxication and said unlawful killing could not be ruled out. Rebekah's family say she was failed by the Met, because they failed to send investigators to Barbados to look into her death - despite pleas from relatives. Commander Simon Messinger, of the Metropolitan Police, said: 'Warren Arter repeatedly exploited his position for sexual purposes, and we are deeply sorry for the harm caused to his victim-survivors. 'We would encourage anyone else who believes they were targeted by him to come forward.'Although criminal and misconduct proceedings concluded at the point of his death, our enquiries have not stopped. 'We are working to examine his digital devices to identify whether there may be further victim-survivors or evidence of criminality that has not yet come to light.'We acknowledge that Arter could have been arrested sooner and apologise for the delay in investigating allegations made against him. 'A complaint into whether further opportunities to prevent his offending were missed remains under investigation. Our thoughts remain with all those affected by his actions, including Rebekah Arter's family.'