NY police claim man may have cooked body

US police say a British man arrested in New York may have cooked part of the dismembered remains of a body found in Hampshire before leaving for America.

Richard Markham is suspected of chopping up Tristian Lovelock and scattering his remains around a housing estate.

US police say an arm belonging to Mr Lovelock had been found cooked in a baking pan.

Markham was detained in Central Park after two female tourists spotted him lounging on a bench.

The unidentified tourists had seen a picture of Markham in a newspaper and became startled when they saw him, police said. After they notified police, an officer approached the suspect and asked him for his name.

"He just said, 'Richard Markham,' at which point he lifted his shirt and showed me a tattoo that said, 'Made in England,'" officer Francisco Alvarez said. While being led out of the Central Park precinct by federal agents, Markham told reporters he "didn't do it."

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said Markham was carrying copies of the Daily News and New York Post, both of which featured pictures of him and stories describing his tattoo and flight to New York.

Police say Markham, 27, fled England after slaying Mr Lovelock, 25, whose severed head was discovered by a man walking his dog. Police found some human remains in a house in a nearby housing project and discovered other body parts in the park and in a garden.

Markham is expected to appear in federal court in Manhattan to face extradition proceedings.

Investigators believe Markham was staying at a hotel on Central Park South, Kelly said. He was carrying ticket stubs for the movie "Spider-Man" and a museum, along with $80 in cash, the commissioner said.