Man arrested in Ireland in connection with murder in Wales

A Welsh man wanted in connection with the murder of his landlord has been arrested in Ireland.

Detectives have been trying to find 40-year-old Swansea man David Ellis for more than a month after retired telecoms engineer Alec Warburton suddenly vanished.

[comment] Photo issued by PSNI of David Ellis[/comment]

South Wales Police confirmed that Ellis had been found and was in custody.

A force spokesman said: “David Ellis has been arrested in Ireland. We are liaising with the Gardaí in relation to his extradition back to the UK.”

Mr Warburton, who lived in Sketty with lodger Ellis, was last seen on July 31 and was reported missing two days later.

[comment] Alec Warburton, 59, from Swansea, who was last seen on July 31[/comment]

In the wake of his sudden disappearance, police launched an appeal for information and said that the 59-year-old’s M-reg Peugeot 205 was spotted in north Wales before returning to Swansea.

The vehicle was then found abandoned at Birkenhead port days later and officers said Ellis had stepped off a ferry in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on August 6.

[comment] David Ellis, last seen leaving a ferry in Belfast[/comment]

That discovery prompted a fresh appeal for information and saw Welsh officers sent across the Irish Sea.

South Wales Police said Mr Warburton’s family had been informed of the latest development in the investigation and continued to be assisted by family liaison officers.

While no trace of Mr Warburton has yet been found, detectives have previously said they were treating the incident as murder.