THAMES Valley Police have rejected claims that they dragged their heels over Facebook killer Peter Chapman’s Newbury arson attack.
In September last year Newburytoday.co.uk reported how Cresswell Road mother Emma Monk’s home was torched.
It later transpired that the arsonist was 33-year-old Chapman, who promptly vanished and, weeks later, lured 17-year-old Ashleigh Hall to her death in Sedgefield, County Durham, after grooming her on the Facebook social networking site.
On Monday Chapman was jailed for life.
Merseyside police has voluntarily referred itself to the Independent Police Complaints Commission over its handling of the affair for failing to issue a national warrant when he vanished from his home there.
Chapman was already on the Sex Offenders’ Register, having served a seven-year jail sentence for attacking two teenage prostitutes when he began visiting Newbury.
Miss Monks and her friend, a 33-year-old Newbury mother who asked not to be named, had both befriended Chapman, not knowing his background.
Now, Miss Monk’s friend has said she was "sickened and angry" that Chapman had apparently fallen off the police radar.
And she claimed that, following the arson attack, she and Miss Monks turned detective and discovered that Chapman had bought a new car from the online auction site ebay - the car he later used to abduct Miss Hall.
They passed the information to the police but heard nothing more, the woman claimed.
However, force spokesman David Staines said yesterday (Thursday): “We can confirm Peter Chapman was wanted by us in relation to an arson at a house in Cresswell Road, Newbury on September 12, 2009.
"Originally there was another suspect in the arson who was arrested. However subsequent investigations revealed Chapman may have been responsible.
"An investigation began to locate Chapman, who used a number of aliases, and it was discovered in mid-October that he had been staying in Reading.”
He added: "Officers from Thames Valley Police liaised with Merseyside to confirm he was still wanted by them for breaching the terms of his sexual offences registration order.
"Thames Valley Police circulated Chapman as wanted on October 21 and investigations continued to try and locate him.
"Officers discovered he had access to a Ford Mondeo, and on October 23 a marker was put on this car on the Police National Computer, linking it to Chapman’s wanted marker.”
Mr Staines revealed: "Chapman was arrested by officers from Durham Constabulary on October 26. In view of Chapman’s imprisonment, the Crown Prosecution Service have taken the view that furtherance of this investigation is not in the public interest."
Our report of the blaze stated that fire engines from Newbury, Hungerford and Dee Road in Reading were all called to the scene in Cresswell Road, just before 10.30pm.
They found a fire on the ground floor of the two storey home and it took six firefighters, wearing breathing apparatus and using two hose reels and two jets, more than an hour to extinguish the flames.
Police were also called to the scene and road closures around the home were put in place.
The Red Cross fire support service vehicle, which helps families when they are unable to return to their homes immediately, also attended the scene.

To read previous stories about the blaze at Miss Monk's home, click on the related stories link above.

DID you know Chapman? If so, please email john.garvey@newburynews.co.uk or telephone John Garvey on 01635 564 528.