Lawyer for Ryan Bane, the US boyfriend of missing British woman Sarm Heslop, who went missing from the US Virgin Islands in March, opposes police who said they “lost track” of whereabouts. found his client, who was not charged with wrongdoing.

“I can state that I personally informed law enforcement officials of Mr. Bane’s movements while in the territory and of his departure from the US Virgin Islands,” lawyer David Cattie told Fox News Thursday. “I further informed the police that if Mr. Bane’s presence is legally required in the territory, he will reverse such a request.”

Bane, 44, has not been charged with any crime in connection with Heslop’s disappearance, but police recently described him as a “person of interest” in media statements.

The statement comes after the Virgin Islands Police Department publicly asked Bane to contact investigators.

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“We are following Ryan Bane, but at the moment we don’t know where he is,” spokesman Toby Derima told reporters last week. “I now invite him to contact us. I want to appeal to his conscience, to let us know what happened the night Sarm disappeared.”

“As this is an ongoing investigation, the Virgin Islands Police Department maintains that we would like to interview Ryan Bane as he was the last person to have contact with Ms Heslop,” Derima told Fox News Friday.

But a group that calls itself “Friends of Heslop” has insisted to Fox News that the police know Bane’s whereabouts.

“We are aware that Ryan Bane is no longer in an area under the jurisdiction of the VIPD, however, we believe his location is known to police. The investigation is ongoing and we continue to do everything possible to help.” , the group told Fox News. .

Cattie said Thursday that “Mr. Bane had nothing to do with Sarm’s disappearance and is heartbroken that she is missing.”

On March 10, divers from various local and federal law enforcement agencies and other citizens formed a dive search team to attempt to locate Sarm Haslop, 41, who went missing on March 8. Unfortunately, this effort was unsuccessful.

Heslop, 41, was last seen in public at a bar with Bane around 10 p.m. on March 7. He reported his disappearance aboard his 47-foot catamaran, the Siren Song, in Frank Bay, St. John, at around 2:30 am on March 8, according to local police. They also said they had not confirmed whether she had already returned to the boat that evening.

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Police said they asked Bane to contact the U.S. Coast Guard for a search and rescue mission. The Coast Guard said it received the report approximately 10 hours later.

Cattie also disputed reports that Bane had denied the Coast Guard full access to his ship, although the Coast Guard said he cited him in March for multiple violations, including the alleged “obstruction of the vessel”. boarding “of Siren Song.

“He also met with the US Coast Guard on his ship later that day, answered any questions he was asked and gave them unhindered access to the ship,” he said, without address quotes from Coast Guard. “Any report to the contrary is categorically false.”

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USCG involvement was limited, Lt. Cmdr. Jason Neiman told Fox News.

“Mr. Bane has been cited for obstructing a security boarding. Our boarding party was denied full access to perform a full safety check of the vessel by the operator. This was an administrative embarkation and therefore the penalties, although not yet fully decided, are not criminal in nature and are generally aimed at correcting a security gap, ”said Neiman.

The booking photo of Bane’s 2011 domestic violence arrest.
(Oakland County Sheriff‘s Office)

“It was Mr. Bane who called the USCG and invited them aboard the ship. Several officers boarded the ship and they performed an on-site inspection of the ship and full sight maintenance. “have not received any preliminary assessment or fines for any alleged violation. If and when we receive one, we will respond accordingly,” Cattie told Fox News on Friday.

Bane, who was convicted in Michigan of domestic assault after beating his ex-wife in 2011, hired the powerful Virgin Islands lawyer shortly after Sarm’s disappearance.

Anyone with information on Heslop’s whereabouts is urged to contact the U.S. Virgin Islands Police Department.

Police in the Virgin Islands, who were at times hesitant to give updates on the stalled case, admitted that they were not sure Heslop returned to Siren Song the night she went missing.