A FRIEND of a bomb disposal expert has been accused of his murder more than a year after the victim disappeared.

Colin Gale, 38, was yesterday arrested on suspicion of Mark Manning’s murder.

Mr Manning, 54, of Lancing, went missing last April after reportedly being dropped off at Worthing railway station by a friend on April 19.

The father-of-two was never seen again and his body has never been found.

For the past year detectives have been investigating whether his disappearance was linked to plans to buy high performance cars off eBay.

Police were yesterday searching Becket Motor Works, in Littlehampton Road, Worthing, as part of their investigation.

A Mercedes car was removed from the garage as part of the search.

Last week police searched a lake at Brooklands Park, Worthing, for Mark’s body after receiving an anonymous tip-off he had been murdered.

At the time Detective Chief Inspector Mike Ashcroft said: “I am convinced that there are people in this community who know what has happened to Mark.”

A spokeswoman for Sussex Police said: “A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder by detectives investigating the disappearance of Lancing man Mark Manning.

“The 38-year-old from Worthing is currently in custody awaiting questioning after he was detained by officers on Wednesday.

“Mark, 54, of Brighton Road, was last seen on April 19, 2014 before his family reported him missing on April 22.

“They said it was completely out of character for him to disappear.

“Officers launched a murder investigation last June.

“A year on and despite extensive proof of life enquiries and searches, no one has reported hearing from or seeing Mark.

“His body has not been found.

“The police activity at Becket Motors in Littlehampton Road, Worthing is one line of enquiry related to the Mark Manning murder investigation following the arrest.

“We cannot confirm whether Mark was ever at the station.

“There was no CCTV of him there and we only ever had hearsay that he was taken to the station by a friend.”

Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Mark should ring police on 101 or email 101@sussex.pnn.police.uk quoting Operation Light or call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

The Argus:

Mark Manning

BACKGROUND

FATHER-of-two Mark Manning worked as a military bomb disposal expert before working for the Mines Advisory Group, a charity that removes landmines in some of the poorest countries in the world.

Wherever he was in the world, he would contact his family, reassuring them that he was alright in such a dangerous environment.

Since returning to Sussex, with many of his family including a brother and sister living nearby, he lived in a flat on the seafront in Brighton Road, Lancing.

He was close to both of his children, a 17-year-old son who lives locally and a 13-year-old daughter who lives in Angola, and he was planning a trip to visit to see his daughter around the time he went missing.

Before he disappeared Mr Manning had been buying high-performance cars on eBay and a friend told police he dropped him off at Worthing station on April 19 to go and buy a car.

That was the last reported sighting of him alive.

There is no CCTV showing him there. Nor has a seller come forward to say he missed a meeting.

The next day, at around midday, both his phones went dead.

He was reported missing on April 22 and Sussex Police soon after declared his disappearance a murder inquiry.

Earlier this year an anonymous tip-off was made through the Crimestoppers charity suggesting he had been murdered and a motive.

The lake at Brooklands Park was searched last week for his body but the body has not yet been found.