Man arrested over seamstress murder

A 38-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the murder of a seamstress whose mutilated body was found nearly eight years ago with hair from an unknown source in one hand. Heather Barnett, 48 , was discovered dead at her house in Charminster, Bournemouth, in November 2002. The mother of two was found in the bathroom of her home by her two children. In her hand was cut hair that did not belong to her. Dorset police said that the man, from Bournemouth, was arrested on suspicion of murder at 6.40am today. The force had been looking at a potential link between Barnett's death and the discovery of the body of 16-year-old Elisa Claps in Potenza , southern Italy, in March this year. The mummified remains of Claps, who disappeared in 1993, were found in the roof of the Most Holy Trinity Church in Potenza, where she had been living. Women in the Bournemouth area had reported having their hair cut in strange circumstances, some when travelling on buses. There were similar reports in the Potenza area at around the time that Claps went missing. A Dorset police spokeswoman said today: "At approximately 6.40am this morning a 38-year-old man from Bournemouth was arrested by officers investigating the murder of Heather Barnett at an address in Chatsworth Road, Charminster. The property will be forensically examined by specialist officers later today."