Arrest over rape of teenage girl

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/hampshire/7016210.stm

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A man has been arrested in connection with the rape of a teenager who fell to her death from a motorway bridge days after she reported the attack.

The-29-year-old was arrested on Tuesday morning at a property in the Calmore area of Southampton.

Sara Clark, 18, from Totton, had reported to police that she was assaulted near her home on 30 May.

Her family believe a delay in a police follow-up call over the allegation led her to jump from a bridge on 2 June.

'Significant development'

The arrest follows extensive enquiries made by investigators who have been "working tirelessly" since the incident on May 30, a Hampshire Constabulary spokesperson said.

Miss Clark was walking home after a night out in Southampton when she was assaulted in the recreation ground in Salisbury Road, Totton.

A police spokesperson said: "This is a very significant development and follows continual close liaison between the enquiry team and colleagues from the Forensic Scientific Services.

"During the enquiry a number of men in the Totton area assisted the investigation by voluntarily supplying their DNA."

Police have informed Sara's parents of the arrest.

Miss Clark's body was discovered by a lorry driver in the early hours of Saturday, 2 June, on the westbound carriageway of the M27 near Southampton.

Her family have said she was depressed because she feared no-one believed her about the assault.

The case is being dealt with by the Independent Police Complaints Commission.