Trio arrested by police hunting for Gaia Pope 'after mistake over clock on CCTV footage'

Three people were arrested by police hunting for missing teenager Gaia Pope only because of a mix-up over the end of British Summer Time and the clock on CCTV footage, it has been claimed.

Rosemary Dinch, 71, her son Paul, 49 and her grandson Nathan Elsey, 19, were all arrested on suspicion of murder after Gaia went missing in Swanage on November 7.

Deborah Elsey, Mrs Dinch’s daughter, handed over CCTV footage from her house but claims that is what led police to arresting the trio.

All three have been cleared of any involvement in Gaia's death - which police are saying remains "unexplained" after her body was found in fields near the Dorset town on Saturday, November 18.

Ms Elsey explained that due to the clocks going back to GMT from BST, a mix up had occurred: “When they questioned him, the time didn’t match the time on the footage so they dragged him in for murder.”

She continued: “It’s ridiculous. The time on the CCTV didn’t match because the clocks went back and the time on there didn’t change.”

Gaia’s body has since been found and a post-mortem examination revealed that she did not have any injuries that suggested third-party involvement.

Detective Superintendent Paul Kessell said that during the search for Gaia the force had been expected to “fully investigate the sudden disappearance of a teenage girl”.

He said:“I appreciate our enquiries would have caused these individuals stress and anxiety, however we have an obligation in any missing person investigation to explore every possible line of enquiry”.