Man quizzed on Amelie's death

A man has been questioned by police in connection with the murder of French student Amelie Delagrange and detained under the Mental Health Act.

The 22-year-old man was arrested in Whitechapel on Saturday evening. He was interviewed at a west London police station and later released on bail.

Miss Delagrange, 22, was battered to death as she took a short cut home across a cricket green in Twickenham. Detectives believe her murder could be linked to a series of similar attacks in the area including the killing of 19-year-old Marsha McDonnell last February in Hampton, less than three miles away.

In a striking similarity, the man arrested in connection with Miss McDonnell's killing was also subsequently detained under the Mental Health Act last summer.

Officers said they are keeping an open mind about a possible link between the attacks but said there were no plans to reinterview the five original suspects arrested over Miss McDonnell's death. Miss Delagrange's-purse, keys and Walkman have been recovered from the river at Walton-on-Thames in Surrey. Officers are expected to finish their searches of the area later today.

They have not yet found her bag or mobile phone. Following a reconstruction of her last movements last Thursday police received more than 100 telephone calls from the public. DCS Andy Murphy, leading the investigation, said: "We still need the public's help and want to hear from anyone who was on the green in the hours leading up to Amelie's death."