IPSWICH/SUSSEX: An address in Ipswich has been at the centre of a murder investigation after a man from the town was arrested on suspicion of the murder of a pensioner in Sussex.

The flat, in St Helen’s Street close to the junction with Warwick Road and Grove Lane, was scoured by officers and scenes of crime specialists from Sussex Police yesterday afternoon.

The 46-year-old Ipswich man was arrested on suspicion of murder, at the first-floor flat on Sunday evening after the body of an elderly woman was discovered in woodland in Sussex.

The body of 78-year-old Brenda James was found by specialist police search teams on the sprawling Goodwood Estate in Chichester, West Sussex, last Thursday.

A spokeswoman for Sussex Police said the man is currently in police custody in Sussex where detectives will question him.

Mrs James’s son, Neale James of Vinnetrow Road in Chichester, has already been charged with her murder.

The 50-year-old appeared at Worthing Magistrates’ Court on Saturday and was remanded in custody until today when he will appear at Lewes Crown Court.

Close friends reported the pensioner missing last Tuesday following concern that she had not been in touch for several days.

Acting on information given to them, police started scouring the Goodwood Estate and found her body on Thursday afternoon.

A post-mortem examination revealed she died from a “head injury caused by a weapon”.

Mrs James, who lived at Lakeside Caravan Park in Chichester, was described as extremely popular with a wide circle of friends whom she met regularly to play bridge and enjoy other hobbies.

In a statement released through police last week, her daughter, Nicole James, said her family had been left “devastated” by her death.

She added: “Her untimely death has been a shock to us all and we are at a loss for words to describe how we feel. We miss her.”

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