CLAUDIA LAWRENCE: Murder arrest is the second in Claudia case

After the case lay largely dormant for several years, police sensationally announced last May that they’d arrested a 59-year-old male from the York area on suspicion of killing the chef.

He spent six months on police bail before police eventually released him without charge.

A 46-year-old man was arrested last July on suspicion of perverting the course of justice, and he remains on police bail.

However since those developments last summer, there had been little movement with Claudia’s case.

That was until a Major Crime Unit operation was carried out on February 25.

That operation involved detectives and sniffer dogs scouring the alleyway of her Heworth Road home, after a leading detective confirmed police were working with a “new lead” into her disappearance.

New CCTV footage was also released on North Yorkshire Police’s YouTube channel, before being screened on a digital advertising vehicle.

And today the force confirmed that a man aged in his 50s from the York area has also been arrested on suspicion of murder.

Searches are being conducted which are expected to be ongoing over a number of days, while police stress that Claudia’s not been found.

Claudia’s family have been notified about the arrest and are being supported by trained officers.

Detective Superintendent Dai Malyn, head of North Yorkshire Police’s Major Crime Unit and the senior investigating officer in the Claudia Lawrence inquiry, said: “I urge everyone to show restraint and patience while we carry out these very important enquiries.”