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The Arrest

Crime Files

The Arrest

Dorset Police used various methods to construct a case against Restivo. Identified early on as a likely suspect, Restivo quickly became the sole focus of investigation. Building towards the arrest, Restivo was questioned a number of times by the police.During the early stages of investigation, Restivo gave an alibi for the day of the murder. In police interviewing he claimed that medical reasons had affected his memory of the key events. He seemed to have an answer for all the police’s questions: he bleached his shoes to get rid of dirt; when arrested in 2006 about hair found in his Bournemouth home, Restivo claimed it was planted there.Though suspicious, without proof the police could only monitor Restivo through surveillance in the hope that they would find new evidence. In 2008, a new forensic technique called Leuco Crystal Violet identified blood in his shoes despite the efforts to bleach the evidence away.In May 2011, with this now compelling forensic evidence and special permission to use evidence from the re-opened Italian investigation, the police were finally able to arrested Restvio for Heather’s murder. Claiming poor memory, attempts to cover his tracks by bleaching clothes he wore during the murder and his defence of hair being planted in his house were no answer to the police’s questioning and Restivo was charged with murder.