A former Metropolitan Police detective gave conflicting accounts of how his wife died in a Barbados hotel room, with staff describing his behaviour as suspicious. Warren Arter's wife, Rebekah, 47, was found dead at the luxury O2 Beach Club in June 2024 after he called reception to say she had collapsed.
Conflicting Accounts and Suspicious Behaviour
Arter reportedly told different people that she had choked, fallen and hit her head, or that he had woken up to find her dead. Security guard Andrew, who attended the room, told BBC Panorama that Arter's explanations kept changing. “He was just trying to find the right story that fits and none of them added up,” he said.
Andrew also claimed he had to stop Arter from going to a nearby street party before emergency services arrived. When asked why he wanted to leave, Arter allegedly replied: “Oh, I just need to clear my head.”
Arter later filmed the hotel room and sent the footage to friends and family. In the video, he could be heard saying: “It looks like chocolate but it's blood.”
Family Concerns and Allegations
Rebekah's daughter-in-law, Lacey, said Arter gave her a different account, claiming he had woken up after 18 hours of sleep to find his wife dead. “He was outright lying. He was forgetting what he was telling people,” she said.
Other hotel staff told the BBC they had been concerned about Arter's behaviour. Security supervisor Kenneth described him as “controlling” and said he “didn't allow Rebekah to do anything on her own”. A receptionist also said staff suspected Arter was drugging his wife.
Rebekah had met Arter in 2006 when she reported domestic abuse to the Met, where he was investigating her case. He later pursued a relationship with her. The BBC reported that he subjected her to sexual and domestic abuse, coercive control and drugging over more than a decade.
Investigation and Inquest Findings
Arter was subsequently investigated by the police watchdog over his conduct towards eight alleged victims, but was never convicted in relation to those allegations. He was suspended for seven years before being dismissed in 2023 for drug offences.
Four days after Rebekah's death, her family went to police in the UK to raise concerns. The Met briefed a senior commander but did not send detectives to Barbados, saying it had decided this was not appropriate without an allegation of criminality.
A UK inquest later found that vital forensic tests had not been carried out and Rebekah's organs had been cut into small pieces by a pathologist in Barbados, destroying evidence. Coroner Andrew Harris returned an open verdict, saying her death likely involved intoxication and that unlawful killing could not be ruled out.
Arter returned to the UK a week after Rebekah died and was arrested over alleged sexual offences against another woman. He was found dead at HMP Wandsworth three days later, aged 54. Rebekah's son Elliot said: “For the rest of my life, I'm never going to know how she's passed away.”
