Hanwell Community 'Puts Its Arms Round' Alice Gross's Family

James Drury
By James Drury Last edited 113 months ago
Hanwell Community 'Puts Its Arms Round' Alice Gross's Family
Outside a playschool on Uxbridge Road, Hanwell.
Outside a playschool on Uxbridge Road, Hanwell.
Hanwell Broadway.
Hanwell Broadway.
Hanwell Clock Tower.
Hanwell Clock Tower.
More tributes in Hanwell Broadway.
More tributes in Hanwell Broadway.
By the River Brent.
By the River Brent.

Residents in Hanwell are "metaphorically putting their arms round" the family of Alice Gross, after Police confirmed a body was found in the River Brent, not far from where the teenager was last seen.

Constituency MP, Steve Pound, who lives in the next road to the family, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "There's an entire community around here which has gathered round in support of the family. Hanwell and Ealing is a sea of ribbons — you've never seen anything like it. That love and outpouring of affection will continue."

Local residents have been covering the area with yellow ribbons in support of the search for Alice, who went missing on 28 August. The hunt for the 14-year-old has involved 600 police officers, who have examined "more CCTV footage than from the entire London riots", Pound said.

Convicted murderer, Arnis Zalkalns, from Latvia, is the prime suspect in the case. The 41-year-old was seen cycling along the path where Alice was walking, not long after her, and he also went missing a week after her disappearance. Police confirmed he served seven years in prison in his home country after being convicted of murdering his wife.

Pound, MP for Ealing North, called for an examination of how information about convicted criminals is shared between European countries. "This case has exposed gaps in the information we get about people who have convictions in other countries," the MP told Today.

All photos by Misty.

Last Updated 01 October 2014