Canning Town murder: Man charged after bodies of two women found in a freezer

Zarhid Younis, 34, accused of two counts of preventing a lawful and decent burial

Police investigating the discovery of the bodies of two women in a freezer at an east London home have charged a man.

Zarhid Younis, 34, will appear in court on Thursday accused of two counts of preventing a lawful and decent burial.

The women, who have not been named by police, were found in a freezer at a flat in Vandome Close, Canning Town, on 27 April.

Officers were called to the address at about 11.45am after local residents raised “concerns for the welfare of an occupant”.

The Metropolitan Police’ launched a murder investigation and began attempting to identify the women and trace their next of kin.

Detective Chief Inspector Simon Harding, making a public appeal for information, said this work would not be completed for several days.

“I have encountered many crime scenes over 28 years and this one of the most challenging and complex to deal with,” he said.

“At the heart of this investigation are two women who were found inside this address and my primary focus is to identify them and inform their families.

“I can assure you that we are doing this as fast as is possible given the circumstances using a number of approved methods as part of formal identification processes.

“It is so important for these women’s families that we are 100 per cent sure who the victims are before we name them and I would respectfully ask that people refrain from speculation and attempts to confirm their identities while this work is ongoing – this is not helpful and accentuates an already distressing situation.”

Postmortem examinations are due to begin on Friday but DCI Harding said it was unlikely a cause of death would be identified “for some days”.

“I have a full homicide team working day and night on this case and we are continuing work to build up a comprehensive picture of activity that took place at this address in Vandome Close,” he added.

“We know it is a property that various people used to stay at, transient members of the community who moved from address to address.

“It is also linked to drug activity. It is too early to say whether either of our victims had a similar lifestyle and again I would ask people to be respectful and not speculate.

“I would appeal to anyone who has visited this address over the last year, or has information about people who frequented the property to come forward and speak to my team.

“I am aware that casts a wide net in terms of my appeal but we do need to build up an accurate picture of life at that flat and what occurred there.”

A 50-year-old man was arrested on Monday morning but was later released under investigation.

Mr Younis, whose address was given as Vandome Close, was arrested on Tuesday and is due to appear at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.