Man charged with Pc's murder

Tributes have poured in for Pc Jon Odell

Police have charged a 24-year-old man with the murder of Kent policeman Jon Odell who died after being struck by a car on Monday.

Wayne Rule, of Marlborough Road, Margate, Kent will appear before Folkestone Magistrates on Friday morning.

Pc Odell, 30, was carrying out a routine traffic check in Margate when he was hit by a car.

On Wednesday three people arrested shortly after the incident were released on police bail.

Pc Jon Odell: Died in hospital

A 34-year-old woman, a 31-year-old man, both from Margate, and a 48-year-old man from Herne Bay, near Canterbury, were bailed until the end of January.

Police arrested the 24-year-old man in Dover on Thursday.

The incident happened as Pc Odell, from Margate, was carrying out road safety checks as part of a high-visibility campaign with six other officers in the town.

Pc Odell, who was born in Felixstowe, Suffolk and lived in Margate with his partner and her 13-year-old son, was rushed to the town's Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital for emergency surgery.

"Dedicated"

He died from "massive internal injuries" at about 0400GMT, Kent Police said.

Dozens of bouquets of flowers have been left at the scene of the accident, and Margate Police Station, by colleagues, friends and members of the public paying tribute to an officer described as "hard-working and dedicated".

Messages of tribute included, "A tragic waste of a young life. Thinking of you at this time" and "Jon, Everybody Loves You".

The flag outside the police station and the lifeboat flag nearby on the seafront were both flying at half-mast.

Anyone with information can contact Kent Police's incident room on 01843 222216.