Robert Leeming: British man rearrested in Canada after bodies of woman and daughter found

Thirty-four-year-old denies any involvement and says he is ‘traumatised’

Jasmine Lovett, 25, and daughter Aliyah Sanderson, were found in woodland west of Calgary (Calgary Police/PA)

A British man has been rearrested in Canada after police discovered the bodies of a woman and her one-year-old daughter.

Robert Leeming was taken back into custody by officers investigating the deaths of Jasmine Lovett, 25, and her daughter Aliyah Sanderson.

Their bodies were found in a woodland west of Calgary on Monday.

Mr Leeming, who has lived in Canada for six years, has denied any involvement and said he was “traumatised” after becoming a prime “murder” suspect.

The 34-year-old said he had been romantically involved with Ms Lovett, who had been living with her daughter as a tenant at his home in the Cranston district of Calgary.

The mother and daughter’s family said their lives had been “devastated and our hearts are heavy” following the discovery.

They were last seen alive in Cranston on the evening of Tuesday, 16 April, and activity on Ms Lovett’s bank accounts stopped on 18 April.

Mr Leeming was arrested a week later but was released after being questioned.

At the time, police said the man they arrested remained the main suspect in the mother and daughter’s disappearance, which detectives were treating as homicide.

Aliyah Sanderson, aged one, had not been seen since 16 April (PACalgary Police/PA)

Calgary Police said on Monday: “At approximately 4am today we located the bodies of a woman and child, believed to be that of Jasmine Lovett and Aliyah Sanderson, in Kananaskis.

“A suspect has been taken into custody and charges are pending. The suspect cannot be named by police until charges are officially laid by the Justice of the Peace.

“However, police can confirm the suspect is the same man who was taken into custody two weeks ago.”

Post-mortem examinations were due to take place on the mother and daughter, although the cause of death was not expected to be released.

Additional reporting by PA