Man arrested in Carole Waugh murder probe charged with fraud

A man arrested in connection with the murder and kidnap of oil executive Carole Waugh has been charged with four counts of conspiracy to commit fraud, Scotland Yard said tonight.

Nicholas David Kutner, 47, of no fixed abode, is accused of pretending to be Chris Waugh, Ms Waugh's brother, in a bid to sell her London home.

He also faces two charges relating to renting her property at Tressard Court and a fourth of unlawfully withdrawing funds from the 50-year-old's bank account.

Miss Waugh, originally from Durham but living in London, had not been seen by her family since mid-April.

Her body was found with a single stab wound inside a car at the garage in Lime Court, New Malden, south-west London, on Thursday night.

The Metropolitan Police said Kutner was bailed to return to a police station on August 25 relating to his arrest on suspicion of murder and kidnap last Wednesday.

But he has not been freed because he is being held in custody on the fraud charges ahead of an appearance by video link at Camberwell Green Magistrates' Court on Monday.

Kutner has been charged with committing fraud along with unemployed Rakesh Bhayani.

Bhayani, 40, of Chamberlayne Avenue, Wembley, was one of four men and two women arrested by Scotland Yard officers last month in connection with the inquiry into what was then the disappearance of Ms Waugh.

He appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on three charges of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation relating to transactions associated with Ms Waugh's identity worth around £280,000 and remanded in custody to appear at Southwark Crown Court on 25 September.

The five other suspects have been bailed pending further investigations.

Kutner was arrested when he came into Luton Airport on Tuesday, initially on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud and kidnap, and then later murder.

Ms Waugh was reported missing by her family on May 7. They last saw her at a family party in mid-April.

She had lived and worked in Libya for a number of years, but returned to London in 2008 and would regularly visit relatives in Durham and Cumbria.

Her former boss, Stuart Anderson, told journalists she had fled Libya after being threatened by someone in Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's regime, but a Scotland Yard spokesman said inquiries are focused in London.

Detectives said she met men through a variety of internet sites, including dating websites, and they were investigating the possibility that she might have been an escort.

So far, a total of 10 people have been arrested in connection with the inquiry into Miss Waugh's disappearance.

At least three women have tried to pose as her since she vanished, police said.

Her flat is in an affluent part of central London and her brother Chris previously said she was "very frugal and careful" with money.

Mr Waugh added: "What I do know about Sister is that she'd earned what she'd earned and saved what she'd saved."

Scotland Yard said after her body was found that a post-mortem examination held at Kingston mortuary found a single stab wound on Ms Waugh's body.

Further examinations are expected to establish the exact cause of her death.

Scotland Yard has appealed for information about the blue Volkswagen Golf Ms Waugh was found in, which has the registration number W466 NHL.

PA