Police search for man suspected of murdering wife in Leeds
An undated handout image issued by West Yorkshire police of Mark Barrott. Photograph: West Yorkshire police/PA
Detectives take rare step of naming Mark Barrott, 54, who is believed to be on the run in Scotland
Police are searching for a man suspected of murdering his wife before going on the run to Scotland.
West Yorkshire police took the rare step of naming Mark Barrott, 54, as a suspect in the murder of his wife, Eileen Barrott, at their home in Leeds on Sunday.
Eileen, a nurse at St James’s hospital, was found dead at the couple’s home in the Whinmoor area of the city on Sunday evening.
Detectives released CCTV images on Tuesday of her husband, who was last seen in Aberdeen city centre shortly after 9pm on Sunday after arriving on a train from Leeds via Edinburgh.
DCI Vanessa Rolfe said Eileen’s family were “completely devastated” by her death and appealed for help to trace the victim’s husband.
“We are continuing to carry out extensive inquiries to locate Mark Barrott as a suspect for his wife Eileen’s murder,” she said.
“We are liaising closely with our colleagues from Police Scotland who have established the most recent sighting of Mr Barrott on CCTV in Aberdeen city centre on Sunday night.
“We are keen to hear from anyone who has seen him since then or who has any information that could assist in tracing him.”
Eileen had worked for 25 years at St James’s hospital, where colleagues paid tribute to her on Tuesday.
Leeds teaching hospitals NHS trust said: “It is with great sadness that we have heard about the sudden and unexpected passing of Eileen Barrott.
“She will be sadly missed by all her friends and colleagues across the trust. This has been a shock to her colleagues and we’re doing all we can to support them at this difficult time.”
Source: (The Guardian)