Fugitive 'Artful Dodger' arrested in connection with murder of Brighton man Michael Polding

Michael Polding

A man nicknamed the Artful Dodger has been arrested following an international manhunt by police investigating the murder of a man who lay dead his flat for around two months.

Ricardo Pisano, whose real identity remains in doubt, was detained following a disturbance in a house in Southampton in the early hours of Monday.

He was taken into police custody where he was identified as wanted in connection with the murder of Michael Polding, 62, who was found dead in his flat in the Kemp Town area of Brighton on July 16 last year.

Openly gay Mr Polding, who had moved to the East Sussex city from London nine months previously, had suffered multiple injuries, a post-mortem examination found. It is believed he died in the middle of May.

A Sussex Police spokesman said: "There had been an international search for Pisano, also known as Ricky, Ree and Brandon Victor Pillay, who has links to South Africa and New Zealand, .

"The search has included liaison with law enforcement agencies and the public via a dedicated website seeking information."

Pisano is being questioned in Brighton by officers from the Surrey and Sussex major crime team.

PA