Man held over counsellor death

A former probation officer found murdered in her bed was suffocated and strangled, detectives said yesterday.

The body of divorced freelance counsellor Ruth Hunt, 58, was discovered at her terrace home in Exeter on Thursday.

She was covered by bedclothes and had been sexually assaulted, said Detective Chief Inspector Ray Lawry, leading the murder hunt.

He would give no details of the sexual assault at a news conference. He said there was no sign of a violent struggle and no forced entry to the house but added: "There was clearly an element of violence involved in the death."

He said Mrs Hunt, who lived alone, may have been dead for several days. She was last seen alive on 17 April and there was unopened mail at her home.

Following the discovery of her body a 39-year-old man was arrested in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, and taken to Exeter for questioning. The police would make no comment on claims the man is a former convict.

When officers arrived at the house they found the back door unlocked, and police were not ruling out the possibility that the victim knew her killer.

Mr Lawry said Mrs Hunt, who divorced her husband in 1987 but had no current partner, was known in the area where she lived as a "kindly lady" and was well-respected.

He said she worked as a freelance counsellor for a privately-funded voluntary agency, mostly with couples.

However, she worked as a probation officer until 1992 and had worked with prisoners in the past. Police said they would be making inquiries with the probation service.