Former British police officer Warren Arter was found dead in prison just days after his wife, Rebekah Arter, was discovered dead in a Barbados hotel room. The 54-year-old ex-detective is suspected of taking his own life at HMP Wandsworth, United Kingdom, on July 12, 2024, two weeks after his 47-year-old wife was found in a blood-soaked room in the Caribbean.
An inquest heard that Arter gave “different accounts” of the events leading up to Rebekah’s death. He claimed he had slept for 18 hours and expressed concerns to Rebekah’s daughter-in-law, Lacey Usher, that he may have been spiked. Lacey told the court that Arter had sent a video to her friend showing Rebekah’s naked body in the hotel room.
Arter had previously attempted suicide in Barbados but was arrested and returned to the UK on “non-homicide” charges. The couple had met in 2006 when Warren was investigating allegations of domestic violence against Rebekah’s then-husband. According to court testimony, Rebekah “changed drastically” during her relationship with Arter and did not want to travel to Barbados. Evidence suggested that Arter abused her, watched porn in her presence, and allowed cocaine dealers to visit their home.
Assistant Coroner Andrew Harris said: “Rebekah’s death was reported to this court in July 2024, we were informed she was found dead in a hotel in Barbados on 28 June 2024. We were informed that her husband tried to commit suicide in Barbados. He was flown to the UK where he was arrested by police on non-homicide charges. I learnt that he was found dead in prison in this country on 11 July and his inquest is to be heard at a later date in another jurisdiction.”
The coroner added that while some family members expressed concerns that drugs or alcohol may have contributed to the deaths, and others suggested potential unlawful actions, a Barbados pathologist found no evidence of violence, and Rebekah’s death was not regarded as homicide. Her cause of death remains unknown, though hair samples indicated “the occasional use of cocaine.”
At the time of her death, allegations of coercive control by Arter were under police investigation. He had been dismissed in 2023 for gross misconduct following a disciplinary tribunal over drug abuse and sexual misconduct, with the tribunal revealing his misconduct had spanned 13 years. Arter had spent seven years on full pay prior to the hearing. He was found dead two days after appearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court charged with misconduct in public office between January 29, 2010, and January 1, 2023.
Rebekah’s son, Elliot Usher, told the court: “When I first met Arter aged seven, I felt quite secure around Warren because he was a police officer. Later he used disgusting names to describe my mum and would control her. He was in charge of her dress sense, which changed from jumpers and jeans to revealing skimpy outfits. My Mum was let down in life, please do not let her be let down in death.”
Elliot requested the hearing be adjourned and designated an Article Two matter under the European Convention of Human Rights, citing a “positive obligation for the state to safeguard life by law” and claiming systemic failings by the Metropolitan Police, its Directorate of Professional Standards, and the IOPC contributed to his mother’s death.
The coroner said whether the matter can be considered a systemic failing and therefore an Article 2 case “can be reviewed at the end of the inquest.” The inquest is set to continue tomorrow.
