Man held in hunt for boy's killer

Detectives investigating the murder of 12-year-old Thomas Marshall were yesterday questioning a man.

Thomas was last seen just before he left his home in Happisburgh, Norfolk, on his mountain bike at about 6pm on 21 August, last year.

His body was found nearly 24 hours later, at a picnic area off the A11 at Roudham Heath near Thetford, 50 miles away. Police say he was fully clothed, and had been strangled. They have not said whether he was sexually assaulted.

Thomas's bike was found beside a narrow lane in a wooded area at East Ruston, three miles from Happisburgh, shortly before the body was discovered.

The man arrested by detectives early yesterday in the Happisburgh area is in his forties. He is now being questioned at nearby North Walsham police station. A police spokesman said the man was not related to Thomas.

Detectives said the picnic area was regularly used by homosexuals, and have repeatedly appealed for members of the gay community to come forward.