Police give update on Clifton Suspension Bridge yob Yostin Mosquera after murders
Police have as yet found no evidence a double murderer committed any further crimes, officers said today.
Yostin Andres Mosquera, 35, decapitated his victims and dumped their bodies in a suitcase on Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol. He was yesterday found guilty of the murders of civil partners Albert Alfonso and Paul Longworth.
Metropolitan Police had initially believed Mosquera was linked to other crimes prior to the killings, but the force has now confirmed no evidence has been discovered connecting the man to anything, including drug offences.
Detective Chief Inspector Ollie Stride said: "Our first thought was that this is not your first crime so we have done quite a lot of work looking at previous offending either here, or there or anywhere. We have not come across anything. We have got no evidence that he was involved in drug gangs but that was something that we thought about and looked at."
Mosquera, who will be sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court in October, had claimed Mr Alfonso, 62, had killed his long-term partner Mr Longworth, 72, but was convicted of two murder charges after a trial.
READ MORE: Bradley John Murdoch dead: Police give bleak update after killer of Brit backpacker's lies
The court heard Mosquera, a dad, had planned to hurl two suitcases containing his victims' dismembered bodies over the bridge into the Avon Gorge 245ft below. He had taken the suitcases from Shepherd's Bush, west London, to Bristol following the harrowing murders on Monday July 8, 2024.
Scotland Yard investigated these and while they had enough evidence for charges, officers were unable to link Mosquera, a Columbian national, with any further offences in the UK or abroad.
"These crimes were truly horrific and our thoughts are with the families and friends of Albert and Paul. Yostin Mosquera's actions have had a significant impact on our communities in Avon and Somerset and I'm very grateful for the support we received at the time of the incident and have received since," Detective Inspector Neil Meade, of Avon and Somerset Police's Major Crime Investigation Team, said.
"It was an extremely fast-moving and complex investigation and their understanding, particularly in those early days, was hugely appreciated. Mosquera had no connection to Bristol and during the trial we've heard he chose to travel here in an attempt to dispose of Albert and Paul's remains and hide his despicable crimes.
"A large number of police officers and members of staff were involved in our investigation and they deserve massive credit, along with colleagues at the Metropolitan Police, in helping ensure he could be brought to justice.
"I know how concerning this incident was - and still is - for our LGBT communities and that some of the details we've heard over the course of the trial will have been deeply distressing. We remain in close contact with community leaders and our partners and are ready to provide any support we can."
Mosquera, who lived in Shepherd's Bush, knew his victims for some time. The murders - two of the most harrowing Det Chief Insp Stride's team have ever seen - happened in the couple's own flat. The officer continued: "Our thoughts and prayers remain with Paul and Albert's family and loved ones and all who knew them, as they continue to process the trauma of what happened."
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Scottish Sun
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Scottish Sun
9 hours ago
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"She has blue hands and feet to do with anaemia, malnutrition, just not getting the right healthcare," Jonathan added. I lived with Taliban for year secretly filming bloodthirsty terrorists' horror secrets… then orders were sent to kill me Alice Edwards, the UN's special rapporteur on torture, said: 'We see no reason why this elderly couple should be detained at all, and have requested an immediate review of the grounds of their detention. 'It is inhumane to keep them locked up in such degrading conditions and more worrying when their health is so fragile.' In April, Peter described the excruciating conditions as "the nearest thing to hell". In a phone recording heard by The Sunday Times, he said: 'I've been joined up with rapists and murderers by handcuffs and ankle cuffs, including a man who killed his wife and three children, shouting away, a demon-possessed man.' He continued: "The atmosphere is pretty shocking. I am learning a lot about the underbelly of Afghanistan. "The prison guards shout all the time and beat people with a piece of piping. "It's a horrible atmosphere — the nearest thing to hell I can imagine." The Taliban's Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi rejected concerns about rights violations. 5 Faye Hall, the couple's interprator, was arrested with them but later released Credit: AP 5 Hall was received at the Qatari embassy in Kabul and confirmed to be in good health Credit: Reuters He said: They are in constant contact with their families [and] consular services are available. "Efforts are underway to secure their release. These steps have not yet been completed. Their human rights are being respected. "They are being given full access to treatment, contact and accommodation." He did not say what steps were being taken to secure their release. The Reynolds were some of the only foreigners not to leave Afghanistan when the Taliban seized back power four years ago. They had been living peaceful lives in the mountainous region of Bamain - famous for the giant Buddha statues blown up by the previous Taliban regime. Their family said they had never encountered any trouble from the regime since settling there in 2009. Last week was the pair's 55th wedding anniversary. Barbie told a Foreign Office official this week: 'We have been told we are guests of the government but this is no way to treat a guest." Peter and Barbie were arrested on February 1 along with their interpreter, Jaya, and a visiting Chinese-American friend, Faye Hall. The group was detained after flying in a small plane from Kabul to an airstrip near their home in the central province of Bamiyan. They bundled into vans and taken to separate parts of maximum-security Pul-e-Charki. On May 22 the couple were moved to the headquarters of the GDI — the General Directorate of Intelligence — and put in an underground cell. Although the couple are now together, they have had almost no access to phones since being moved. The last time their four children spoke to them was over a month ago. It was initially thought they had been arrested for teaching parenting skills to mothers. The Taliban later bizarrely claimed the arrest was due to a "misunderstanding" - though did not release them. Hall, their interpretor, was released on March 27 following a court order.
