Boyfriend of missing Bali woman found

Ms Osborne was last seen on 18 April 2003

The boyfriend of a Cumbrian aid worker missing on the island of Bali has been found in custody in Peru.

Police officers investigating the disappearance of Kate Osborne had been keen to speak to her Peruvian boyfriend Jose Henricci.

Cumbria Police revealed on Monday that the professional surfer was arrested by police in his home country less than two weeks after Ms Osborne was last seen on 18 April.

Ms Osborne, 35, from Head's Nook, near Carlisle, has lived in Bali for nearly four years, teaching English and then acting as a translator following last October's nightclub bombing.

Cumbria Police said Mr Henricci is currently being held in custody in Puerto Maldonado, but that his arrest is not in connection to Ms Osborne's disappearance.

He has denied knowing anything about what has happened to Ms Osborne.

'A burden'

Detective Chief Inspector Bill Whitehead of Cumbria Police, and a colleague, travelled to Bali on 15 June, along with Ms Osborne's parents Liz and Patrick, and returned last week.

It was hoped the trip would help reveal the whereabouts of Miss Osborne and Mr Henricci.

Jaime Bedoya, a journalist for the Peruvian magazine Caretas, has been following the latest developments.

Mr Bedoya described a statement Mr Henricci made on Peruvian television. and said: "He denied all responsibility in her disappearance, and also added - I am quoting him - that Kate was "a burden" for him.

"He didn't explain much more than this."