British man quizzed over murder of mum and daughter in Canada says he was with his new girlfriend

A British man suspected of murdering a mother and her one-year-old child in Canada claims he can’t be the killer because he was on a date when they disappeared.

Robert Leeming, 34, was named as the prime suspect over the deaths of his lover and tenant Jasmine Lovett, 25, and her 22-month-old daughter Aliyah Sanderson.

The pair were last seen by witnesses on April 16 at Leeming’s home in Calgary, Canada, and were reported missing a week later when they did not show up for a family dinner. Their bodies have not yet been found.

Leeming, who was born on a British Army base in Germany and later lived in Wiltshire, told police he went for a picnic with the pair on April 17.

Ms Lovett’s bank card was used for an online purchase the following day. 

HGV mechanic Leeming said he last saw the parent and child on the evening of April 18 before going out on his date with his new woman.  

At his home in Cranston, Calgary, yesterday he told The Mirror: ‘When I last saw Jasmine she was fine. They were both sitting down here.

‘I went somewhere else and they weren’t here when I came back. I left to go and see another girl. I’ve not been seeing her that long.

‘That’s not what she [Ms Lovett] has told her family so obviously that makes it very difficult. Jasmine told her family we were together more than what we actually were or are. I’ve been dating [the new girl] for a few months.’

Speaking from his doorstep with bloodshot eyes, Leeming said he had been drinking heavily for three days.

He also revealed his few friends had deserted him because of the speculation he’s a killer. 

Her mother Jasmine Lovett (pictured), 25, had been in a relationship with prime suspect Robert Leeming, 34, from Wiltshire

Leeming was arrested last Thursday and released on Friday after questioning. He was allowed back home on Monday after police searched his home. 

He told reporters outside a bar while a forensics team searched his house: ‘They will find nothing because I did nothing wrong.’

He had previously been in an intimate relationship with Ms Lovett, who had lived with him for the past seven months.  

Calgary police say Leeming may have tried to burn evidence after the mother and daughter’s disappearance.

‘Through the investigation, police believe the suspect may have attempted to destroy evidence related to the homicide by means of burning, some time between Tuesday, April 16, and Saturday, April 20, in the area of Bragg Creek, Elbow Falls, Priddis and/or East Kananaskis,’ the force said.

But Leeming claims he couldn’t have killed the pair because he was on a date with a new woman when they vanished

Staff Sergeant Martin Schiavetta added: ‘We have learned that items may have been purchased which would destroy evidence.’

Earlier this week it emerged that Leeming’s ex-wife Sara told a court the Brit stalked her.

She claimed she feared for her and their son’s lives as their marriage came to a bitter end in 2018 after five years.

In divorce documents seen by the Mirror, Leeming admitted to owning firearms including two handguns and a shotgun and about 60 knives up to eight inches long.

He was also accused of regularly using drugs and of threatening their pet dog with a knife, the paper reports.