Man, 28, is arrested in Romania over murder of woman found dead in bed

A 28-year-old man has been arrested in Romania over the murder of Valerie Graves who was found bludgeoned to death in bed in December 2013, Sussex Police said. 

Romanian national Cristian Sabou was arrested on a European Arrest Warrant this morning at his address in the northern town of Dej. 

The 55-year-old artist was murdered with a claw hammer in a ground floor bedroom at the house in Bosham, West Sussex – a village featured in ITV drama Midsomer Murders.

She had been house-sitting with her sister Janet, 60, Janet’s architect boyfriend Nigel Acres, 59, and their elderly mother Eileen, 87, while the property’s owners holidayed abroad over Christmas.

Ms Graves had gone to bed at around 10pm on December 30, and 12 hours later her sister Janet found her dead in her room, at the rear of the house. 

Sussex Police said he will now appear in court in the city of Cluj-Napoca to face extradition proceedings on a date to be fixed.

Sussex Police Detective Chief Inspector Jon Fanner said: ‘This is a major development in the case. It follows detailed inquiries in Romania by officers from the Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Team, in which we were assisted by valuable liaison with local law enforcement officers of the General Police Inspectorate, Criminal Investigations Directorate, Bucharest, the Criminal Investigation Service in Cluj, and the Special Operations Brigade in Cluj, also the local prosecutor.

Romanian police arrested Cristian Sabou on a European Arrest Warrant this morning at his address in the northern town of Dej, pictured

Officers entered the property and took Sabou into custody, pictured left and right. He will now appear in court in Romania at a date to be fixed to face an extradition hearing

‘We have worked closely with the Crown Prosecution Service throughout and they have authorised the prosecution. We have also had valuable support from the National Crime Agency’s overseas network.

‘Valerie’s family have been kept informed of developments but they are not making any public statement at this time.

‘We now hope to ensure, subject to the decision of the Romanian courts and judicial authorities, Sabou’s return to this country for an appearance before magistrates with a view to his being sent for Crown Court trial.

‘This is a major development in our task of achieving justice for Valerie and her family, but now the case is before the courts, proceedings are active, and we are not in a position to disclose any further information at this time.’

Ms Graves was house-sitting at a property in Bosham, West Sussex, with her sister when she was brutally attacked with a claw hammer. Pictured is police at the scene in 2013

The death prompted a huge investigation but no killer was identified in the aftermath, with a £20,000 reward offered and a Crimewatch appeal put out

A post-mortem examination revealed Ms Graves had suffered significant head and facial injuries at the house in Smugglers Lane.

Despite extensive investigations, including interviews with more than 9,500 people by police, her killer could not be found.

A £20,000 reward for information was previously offered while BBC Crimewatch also put out an appeal. 

At the time of her death officers also handed out leaflets and put up posters asking ‘all men aged over 17 who live, work or visit Bosham to help police find Valerie’s killer by providing a simple DNA mouth swab and thumbprint’ to ‘enable police to eliminate as many men as possible from the inquiry’. 

Speaking at the time, her son Tim Wood, 39, said: ‘It’s hard to carry on knowing that someone is out there able to do it to someone else and knowing that they haven’t been caught for what they have done.’ 

Ms Graves, pictured, went to bed at around 10pm on December 30, 2013, and was found dead the next morning by her sister