Court finds that actions of police did not cause or contribute to the death of Alice Gross

The body of Alice Gross, 14, was found in the River Brent, west London, in September 2014, after she had been reported missing a month earlier.

Arnis Zalkalns, 41, who had served a prison sentence in his native Latvia for murdering his wife, is believed to have killed her. Zalkalns took his own life before he could be apprehended.

The jury found that Alice’s death was “consistent with compression asphyxia”, where pressure of a person’s chest prevents them breathing.

Although the police had faced criticism for not checking Zalkalns’ Latvian record when he was arrested in 2009 on suspicion of an indecent assault, the coroner, Dr Fiona Wilcox ruled that actions of the police and Home Office  “had not contributed to Alice’s death”.

Vincent Williams acted for the Commissioner of Police.