Politics
Last movements of missing Brit woman Sarm Heslop MISSED as bar’s CCTV wasn’t working due to power failure
THE LAST movements of missing Brit woman Sarm Heslop could have been missed as a bar’s CCTV was not working due to a power failure.
Heslop, 41, from Southampton, Hampshire, vanished without a trace on March 7 after she and Ryan Bane, 44, had drinks at the 420 to Center bar in Frank’s Bay, St John, the US Virgin Islands.
Sarm Heslop has been missing since March 7[/caption]
CCTV systems were not working at the 420 to Center bar in Frank’s Bay[/caption]
Heslop has been missing since for more than a month as she vanished without a trace – with Bane telling cops she was last seen aboard his boat Siren Song.
The mystery continues as no clues have yet been discovered as to her whereabouts or what happened to her on March 7.
And now cops have hit another brick wall as they attempt to trawl through the island’s CCTV network to try and trace Sarm’s movements.
Ryan Sharkey, owner of the 420 to Center bar, said the cameras at the bar have only just been replaced after a power outage, reports The Mirror.
He said: “The CCTV was blown out a few days before by an electrical outage.
“I’ve only just got it replaced. We just don’t have footage of them. Police were disappointed when I told them.”
Sharkey added: “She and Ryan were at the edge of the bar, no arguing, no trouble, not that we know about. They were talking, that was it.
‘It was about 6pm or 7pm when they came in. I think he had three beers and Sarm no more than two.
“They were here for about an hour-and-a-half.”
Friends are becoming increasingly fearful over her vanishing from the £500,000 catamaran, fearing she may have been kidnapped.
Bane, who has a conviction for assaulting his ex-wife, has been accused of failing to cooperate with police and remains in the US Virgin Islands.
Sarm’s family and friends are desperate for answers[/caption]
The owner of the nearby Connections Cyber Cafe says she saw Bane a few days after the disappearance when he picked up a package from a PO Box at the premises.
She said: “After Sarm went missing, we were shocked when we checked our records and saw Ryan’s name and the name of the boat and realised he has a PO Box with us.
“He’s been in once since Sarm disappeared, to pick up a large parcel. I’ve no idea what it was or who it was from.
“We fear the worst for her, now it’s been more than a month since she disappeared. It’s so strange that there’s just no sign of her, no clothing that’s washed up or been found, just nothing.
“We all really feel for her family and friends. It is just so awful for them.”
The former air steward Sarm’s distraught mum and dad, Brenda and Peter, from Hertfordshire, say they can’t fly out to the Caribbean due to Covid restrictions.
They said: “If we could travel we would. We want to be helping with the search and we dream of being able to wrap our arms round our darling daughter.
“It is now over three weeks since Sarm went missing. We know that the Virgin Islands Police Department is doing as much as possible.”
Police want to search Ryan Bane’s yacht – where Sarm was last seen[/caption]
Bane claims he realised Sarm had disappeared after he was woken by the boat’s anchor alarm at 2am[/caption]
Sarm, who previously worked for defunct airline Flybe, quit the UK more than a year ago and met Bane, 44, on Tinder last July.
Cops have spoken to Sarm’s loved ones in the UK as well as in the US Virgin Islands.
Detectives have stressed he is not a suspect in Sarm’s disappearance, but island police and the FBI still want to speak to him in detail about her.
According to Bane, on the night in question the couple had dined in a local restaurant until 10pm, before taking their dinghy back to his yacht.
Bane has said they watched a film and went to sleep, before he was woken at 2am by his boat’s anchor alarm and found that Sarm was missing.
A huge search involving divers and a helicopter, which lasted into the evening, found no trace of her.
Sea conditions were described as “perfect” and the Brit is known to be a strong swimmer.
Police said Bane called them at 2.30am on the night Sarm went missing and they told him to ring the US Coast Guard.
Cops are reportedly now shifting their focus inland – and are now searching areas of uninhabited islands and coves.
“At this point the possibility of finding a body washed up on shore is considered highly unlikely. That window of possibility is gone,” a source said.
The areas being searched include Steven Cay, a scrub-covered, rocky island about half a mile west of St. John.
No one lives on the strip of land – but it is popular with tourists for scuba diving, kayaking and snorkeling.
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Mr Bane was given a citation by the US Coast Guard for obstructing law enforcement agents of boarded his boat after Sarm’s disappearance.
He is reported to have stood in a doorway and attempted to deny them entry to the cabin.
His lawyer previously released a statement to US media, saying: “Mr Bane’s only hope is that Sarm is found alive and well. His thoughts and prayers are with Sarm and her family during this difficult time.
“Mr Bane has spent countless hours searching for Sarm and will continue to do so. Ryan is devastated that Sarm is missing.”
