Murdered Woman's Ex-Boyfriend Found Dead

30 May 2011, 08:09 | Updated: 30 May 2011, 08:49

Detectives hunting for the former partner of murdered Red Cross worker Angela Hoyt have found his body.

Martin Collett, a 35-year-old Doctor of Philosophy, was discovered just north of Hatfield train station in Hertfordshire at 11.30 on Friday night (May 27th).

Hertfordshire police were told of the discovery by British Transport Police and his remains have now been identified.

Collett was last seen sitting on a wooden fence in the grounds of Hatfield House stately home - 10 minutes from the murder scene.

He strangled Angela, 34, at her home in Glebeland, Hatfield after she had tried to get a restraining order against him for harassing her.

The murder hunt began on Tuesday evening when Canadian-born Angela's relatives in Ontario raised the alarm.

Police forced their way into her pretty £200,000 terraced home and found the body of Angela, who had just returned from 3 months in Islamabad, Pakistan where she had been helping victims of the floods.

Collett had arrived at the house in a 51-registered blue Focus car, which the police took away after Canadian-born Angela's body had been found. It was thought he left the scene on foot.

On Friday 21 May Angela had contacted Herts police to say that Collett had been harassing her. The Independent Police Complaints Commission is investigating the force's response to her complaint.

Last Friday specialist search officers, including dog handlers, and the police helicopter were used in a search of the grounds of Hatfield House. A member of the public believed they had seen Collett on a small wooden fence, which is protecting a tree at the stately home. Later that day he killed himself at the station.

A post mortem revealed Angela died some time between Sunday and Tuesday. She worked for the Red Cross as a Public Affairs and Communications Advisor. She was born in Windsor, Ontario and moved to the UK in 1999 to travel and play rugby. She went to the University of Wales, where she studied Journalism and had been working in Islamabad for the past three months.

Detective Chief Inspector Mark Ross from the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit who lead the investigation said: "My team and I are very grateful for all the assistance we have received from members of the public, partner agencies and the media during our search. We would like to thank them all for their help."

Both deaths are to be handed over to the Hertfordshire coroner.