Police say he would have met the schoolgirl further up the towpath

New CCTV shows Zalkalns cycling along canal where Alice was last seen

He was last seen a week after 14-year-old Alice went missing on August 28

Father-of one, who lives with his partner, has been missing for two weeks

Zalkalns was also quizzed over indecent assault of girl in London in 2009

Officers revealed he served seven years in jail for murdering his wife in 1998

A Latvian builder named as the prime suspect in the search for schoolgirl Alice Gross was convicted of murdering his wife, police revealed.

Arnis Zalkalns, 41, served seven years in jail for killing his wife in his homeland in 1998, according to Latvian state police spokesman, Toms Sadovskis.

The Home Office has yet to confirm whether it was aware of his conviction before he was allowed into the country.



Scotland Yard said it was looking for Zalkalns after he was seen on CCTV cycling along Brentford Lock, London, at 4pm, fifteen minutes after Alice walked along the same route.



Detectives believe Zalkalns is likely to have come across Alice as they were both going in the same direction along the canal towpath on August 28.

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Police have named Arnis Zalkalns, 41 (left), a Latvian builder, as a suspect in the disappearance of Alice Gross, 14. Officers have revealed that Zalkalns served seven years in prison in Latvia after being convicted of murder New CCTV footage have been released showing the 14-year-old walking past Hanwell station The CCTV video footage gives vital clues about Alice's movements on the day she disappeared It also emerged today that he was arrested on suspicion of indecent assault on a 14-year-old girl near his home in Ealing. But this was not pursued because the victim refused to give further evidence. Detective superintendent Carl Mehta added that police have no evidence suggesting Alice has come to harm.

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Next Agony of British beach murder victim's family as clueless... Dad who murdered his five young children thought they were... Share this article Share He added: 'This is not a murder inquiry in the sense that we don’t have any evidence or information to say that Alice is not alive.'

Mr Mehta said it was his understanding that UK authorities had no record of Zalkalns' murder conviction and had only been told about it in the 'last few days'.

Police say this CCTV footage shows Zalkalns cycling along the canal towpath in west London fifteen minutes after Alice was pictured here

Officers say Zalkalns would have met Alice further up the path as they were heading in the same direction

LATVIA, THE EU, AND THE RULES ON CRIMINALS EMIGRATING TO BRITAIN Latvia broke away from the Soviet Union in 1991, and in 2004 was accepted into the European Union.



This sparked a wave of immigration into the UK. Between 2004 and 2010 tens of thousands of Latvian citizens travelled across Europe to live in this country.



The exact figure is disputed. Latvian officials claim that less than 30,000 people left to find work in Britain, but 2010 National Insurance data showed 75,000 Latvians living here.



Under EU free movement laws 'every citizen of the Union' has 'a right to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States.'



States can block criminals from entering the country, but only if the individual 'represents a genuine, present and sufficiently serious threat' to society.



The law goes on to say that 'general prevention' of crime is not an acceptable reason to block someone from entering the country.



In the case of Zalkalns, EU law does allow the UK to request a copy of his criminal history from Latvia 'should it consider this essential', however the law states that 'such inquiries shall not be made as a matter of routine'.



It is not known whether the Home Office requested information on Zalkalns, although the Met Police said they only learned of his murder conviction 'in the last few days'.

Zalkalns, who works as a general labourer at a building site in Isleworth, west London, is thought to have come to the UK in 2007.

He became a person of interest on September 12 after officers established that he cycled along Brentford Lock , but he had come to the notice of police before that, Mr Mehta said.

Zalkalns was last seen at his home on the evening of Wednesday, 3 September. Since then he has not accessed his bank account or used his mobile phone.

His passport was left at his house. His friends and family have told police that his disappearance is completely out of character and they are very concerned for him.

A reward of up to £20,000 is being offered for anyone who has information that leads detectives to find Alice.

Neighbours of Mr Zalkalns today told of their shock at finding he has a murder conviction.

One neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: 'It’s shocking and absolutely disgusting. I didn’t know him, but I didn’t know anything about his convictions either.



'Why didn’t the police do anything about it, or look at him earlier? It’s even more shocking when there are the schools nearby as well.'

Just a two-minute walk down the road from Zalkalns’ house is Dunston House, a prep school for boys aged between four and 13, and Harvington Prep School for Girls, which teaches girls between three and 11 and boys aged three to four.

A female resident, who lives at the end of the street, said she walks past Zalkalns’ home on her way to Ealing Broadway tube station on most days.



The woman, in her thirites, added: 'I have seen him coming out of the house with a pram a few times when I walked past. This is a nice street. We’ve never had any trouble since we’ve lived here, so I am really shocked.'

Today two uniformed police officers were today guarding the front door of Zalkalns’s home, and a large silver police van was parked outside.

Alice is seen walking along the canal towpath fifteen minutes ahead of Zalkalns. This was one of the last sightings of her before she disappeared

Alice is pictured walking down the canal footpath towards Brentford just hours before she went missing

A man, believed to be Zalkalns, is seen cycling along beside the canal in the moments before Alice vanished

Mr Metha added: 'I want the public's help. On Thursday 28 August Arnis Zalkalns left work, in Isleworth, at about 3.30pm on his bike.



'Did you see him that afternoon? Either on his own, or with a teenage girl? I also need to hear from anyone who knew Arnis whom we have not yet spoken to.

'His family and work colleagues have stated he was behaving normally in both the days before and after Alice's disappearance. They are deeply concerned about his disappearance.

Forensic teams have continued to search Zalkalns' house in Ealing, west London today after he was named as a suspect in the disappearance of Alice Gross

Police search outside the home of Latvian builder Arnis Zalkalns, 41, in Ealing Broadway

'Arnis has not been seen since Wednesday 3 September. I want anyone who may have seen him after that date, or who may have helped him by giving him money or somewhere to stay, to call and speak to us. It is really important that we trace Arnis and speak to him about Alice's disappearance.

'Three weeks ago today Alice left home as usual. She has not been seen since 4.26pm, when she walked along Trumpers Way.

RETRACING HER STEPS: THE LAST KNOWN MOVEMENTS OF ALICE GROSS 1pm, August 28: Alice leaves home on foot, heading along Campbell Road, past Hanwell station before turning right on to Uxbridge Road, where she is picked up again by CCTV 15 minutes later

1.26pm: CCTV footage shows her walking along Windmill Lane until hitting the Grand Union Canal where she turned left. She followed the canal until it joined the River Brent, then headed along the river towards Brentford

1.30-2.20pm: Alice follows the river, crossing Trumpers Bridge heading past Transport Avenue and into Brentford

2.23pm: The teenager is seen again on CCTV near the Holiday Inn, on Commerce Road

3.45pm: Alice is caught on CCTV at Brentford Lock, near to the Holiday Inn and close to where the River Brent meet the Thames

3.56pm: At some point in her journey, Alice reverses direction and CCTV picks her up again close to the GlaxoSmithKline building based in Great West Road heading back towards Hanwell

4.02pm: Alice is caught on CCTV opposite Transport Avenue near Boston Manor Park heading back up the River Brent

4.25pm: Alice again appears on CCTV walking up the canal towpath towards Trumpers Bridge

4.26pm: The last sighting of Alice comes from a CCTV camera that shows her on Trumpers Way, the bridge that crosses the Grand Union Canal.

4.40pm: Fifteen minutes after Alice is last seen, Zalkalns is spotted at the same spot, riding his bike in Alice's direction

September 4: Alice's distinctive schoolbag is found next to the canal, with her purse, money and iPhone all missing

'So far the public have given us great support, but there may still be people out there who were walking in the area Alice was on that Thursday who have not yet spoken to us.

'If you were and you saw anything that could help progress our investigation - please call.



'Alice used social networking sites, Facebook, Twitter and Ask.fm. I'm asking anyone who may have been talking to Alice on these sites in the run up to the day she disappeared to speak to us.'

So far the investigation has found no evidence to say that Alice and Arnis knew each other.



Alice was last seen at 4.26pm on August 28, when she was spotted on CCTV by the Grand Union Canal in west London. There have been no sightings of her since.

Mr Zalkalns disappeared seven days later. Yesterday neighbours said they were shocked to see police searching his home as they did not know he was missing.

One man, who asked not to be named, said: 'A police car was parked directly outside my house yesterday and I asked the officer what was happening and he said he wouldn’t tell me. So, I googled it and saw the news

Mr Zalkalns lived at the property (left) with his partner, Katerina Laiblova and their young child. Today she paid tribute to him, saying he is 'a loving man'

'I don’t know the man too well because I haven’t lived here too long myself. But I knew him to say hi to, and he seemed like a nice enough man.

'I would normally see him with a pram pushing his child. I think he had a young kid, probably aged one or two, but I’m not sure if it was a boy or a girl. He lives there with his partner and child.

Another resident, a woman who also asked not to be named, said: 'I don’t know the couple who live there but I had no idea that someone had gone missing, and I was shocked when I found out that they wanted to speak to him because he may have information about that poor girl.

'Police have been here most of this week but they hadn’t said what was happening. I think they’ve probably been here since Monday and we’ve had a police van and cars coming and going.'



Scotland Yard previously described Zalkalns as white and 5ft 10ins, with a stocky build and dark brown hair which he normally tied in a ponytail.

Alice (pictured right with sister Nina left) has been missing for more than two weeks. She was last seen at 4.26pm on August 28, when she was spotted on CCTV by the Grand Union Canal in west London

'Heartbreaking': Rosalind Hodgkiss, mother of missing Alice Gross, spoke to Crimewatch ahead of an appeal

Yesterday Rosalind Hodgkiss, Alice's mother, made a heartfelt appeal on Crimewatch for more information while urging her daughter to come home. She said: 'The last two weeks have been completely heartbreaking. There's not a moment of the day that you don't think about Alice and where she is, what might have happened, or why she might have gone missing. 'It's almost impossible to describe what that pain feels like, but we just want her to know "Please Alice, if you're out there, come home".

'And if anyone has any information at all about her movements on that day, or about her whereabouts now, I just really plead with them to come forward to the police and get her home, because that's where she belongs - she needs to be here with us.’



Detectives say Alice Gross, pictured, last used her iPhone to send a text to her father on the day she vanished. When her bag was found the phone was missing and officers think it could hold vital clues

Two men have previously been arrested on suspicion of murder by officers but both have been released without charges. Alice's distinctive schoolbag was discovered along the towpath after she disappeared, but items such as her purse, money, and iPhone were missing.

Officers previously said her missing smartphone may hold ‘key’ information about her disappearance. The device last connected to the network at just after 5pm. Police say they have no evidence that the anorexic schoolgirl was being bullied on social media but hoped finding her phone might uncover any secret communications she might have had. He said her family has been left ‘devastated’ by her disappearance. Her parents Jose Gross and Rosalind Hodgkiss, and her sister Nina, have already recorded appeals for her to come home.

A police diver and support team carry out a search of a canal at Hanwell Lock in London earlier this month Mr Chalmers said today: ‘Over two weeks ago now Alice left home, just as normal, and went for a walk. She has not been seen since. ‘The response so far from the public has been great, but as yet we have no confirmed sightings of Alice after 4.30pm that day. ‘I am really keen to trace Alice’s phone, which I know has not been used since late afternoon on the day she was last seen. ‘It is white iPhone 4S, with a distinctive cracked rear case that Alice had decorated with marker pen. If you saw, or currently have Alice’s phone please get in touch. Alice’s family are devastated. 'They think about her constantly. If you have any information that can help us bring Alice back to her family, no matter how small or trivial it may seem to you, please call us.’ Mr Chalmers previously said Alice had been going through a ‘difficult time’ and had been undergoing medical treatment for her anorexia but that there had been no family argument before she vanished.

Officers say there is no truth in speculation that a family disagreement had sparked Alice's disappearance

Posters: Alice, who was being treated for anorexia, was last seen on CCTV at around 4.30pm on August 28

Alice’s phone was last actively used to send a text message to her father shortly after 3pm on the day she disappeared.

Police believe that this text shows that at this stage she was planning to go home, but may have extended her walk to kill time waiting for him to return home at 6pm as she did not have a key.

Alice is white, 5ft 2ins tall, of very slim build and has shoulder-length, light brown hair. She was last seen wearing dark blue jeans and a dark green lacy cardigan and carrying the dark rucksack.

Appealing for people to think whether they saw Alice on the afternoon she disappeared, Mr Chalmers said she was ‘very identifiable’.



‘Alice was a very thin person, it would have stuck in people’s minds,’ he added.

Family: Alice's father, Jose Gross (left), Rosalind Hodgkiss (centre) and sister Nina Gross (right) are pictured



Missing: Alice is white, 5 ft 2ins tall and of very slim build with shoulder-length, light brown hair

Mr Chalmers also said a couple have come forward to tell police they saw Alice’s bag at around 8.15pm on the day she went missing.

They said they saw it on the footpath that runs besides the River Brent between Hanwell Bridge and the Grand Union Canal.

The spot is near to where some builders also said they spotted it the following day, but it was on the path rather than in the undergrowth. The bag was not found by police until September 2.

