A 32-year-old man has been charged with murder after a body was found inside a suitcase in a park.
Police were called to Borstal Recreation Ground in Rochester on Friday (July 10) as part of a murder investigation being led by the Metropolitan Police.
Police in Borstal Recreation Ground in Rochester. Picture: Caitlin Turner
The Met launched the investigation after receiving a report of a possible murder at Kingfisher Court in Wandsworth shortly before 11pm on Thursday (July 9).
Officers attended the address but found no one inside.
Following a search of the property, detectives concluded that someone had come to serious harm there and launched a murder probe.
On Friday, the Met was informed that two men, aged 27 and 32, had attended Medway Police Station in Gillingham, where they were arrested on suspicion of murder.
Police in Mercury Close, next to Borstal Recreation Ground
Today, detectives confirmed that Joshua Miller, 32, of Kingfisher Court, Wandsworth, has been charged with murder and preventing a lawful and decent burial.
Jamie Cooper, 27, of the same address, has been charged with preventing a lawful and decent burial.
The Met said the victim and both men charged were known to each other.
A police cordon off Borstal Recreation Ground on Saturday, July 11
Both suspects will appear at Medway Magistrates’ Court tomorrow.
A third man, arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, has been released on police bail.
On Friday, officers attended a wooded area of Borstal Recreation Ground, where a man’s body was found inside a suitcase.
Police in Borstal Recreation Ground in Rochester. Picture: Caitlin Turner
A police presence remained at the park throughout the day, as forensic investigations continued.
Reacting to the incident, Rochester and Strood MP Lauren Edwards described the news as “distressing”.
She said: “My thoughts are with the victim’s family.
“The Met Police have made two arrests and do not believe there is any wider risk to the public, but Kent Police will be stepping up their community engagement in the Borstal area, which I welcome.”