French quiz man over body in boot

Police holding a British man over the death of his wife have confirmed the killing took place outside France.

Derek Symmons, 61, of Loudwater in Hertfordshire, is accused of strangling his 59-year-old wife Christine.

Her body was found in the boot of his BMW at a hotel near Macon. He is now being held in the Burgundy region.

Herts police, who believe the woman was killed at the home she shared with her husband, have sent two officers to Macon to help with his extradition.

Telephoned daughter

A spokesperson for Hertfordshire police said: "The French want to make sure that the death did not happen in France.

"We have a European Arrest Warrant and as soon as the French are satisfied we will be able to bring Mr Symmons back to England."

Mr Symmons was arrested after allegedly confessing to a receptionist at a hotel in Macon last Tuesday night.

He had also telephoned his daughter Claire, back in England.

On Thursday he was remanded in custody by a French judge and is being held at a detention centre at Varennes le Grand, near Macon.

When police arrested the electrical contractor at a hotel off the A6 motorway near Macon, they found the body of Mrs Symmons in the boot of his BMW car.

The couple's home on the Lower Plantation Estate in Loudwater has been cordoned off for forensic testing.

The Foreign Office said on Wednesday that consular staff in France were aware of the case and were in touch with French authorities.