A man who police would like to interview in connection with a woman’s murder in Nutfield, Surrey, is believed to have fled to Spain.

Surrey Police detectives would like to speak to David Baxendale, 39, in connection with the investigation. He is known to have links to the Redhill and Tadworth areas of Surrey but he is now believed to be abroad having caught a ferry from Portsmouth to St Malo in France on the evening of May 11.

Since then Mr Baxendale is believed to have moved through France and is now in Spain.

The body of 38-year-old Sarah Thomas was found after police and the ambulance service attended an address in High Street following a 999 call shortly after 6pm on Monday 10 May.

A post mortem examination found that Miss Thomas, an unemployed mother of three, had suffered a number of injuries including a stab wound to the neck. Following extensive searches of the local area around Nutfield, a kitchen knife was later recovered.

Mr Baxendale is described as white, approximately 5ft7in, of slim build with blue eyes and may walk with a limp. He is clean shaven with neatly groomed light brown hair although his appearance may have recently changed. He also has a scar on his scalp, tribal tattoos on each shoulder, a dragon tattoo on his right upper arm and a scorpion tattoo on the left side of his chest.

Officers from Surrey Police’s Major Crime Investigation Team are currently following a number of lines of enquiry and communicating with police authorities on the continent to try to trace Mr Baxendale, who may be able to provide useful information for the investigation.

Detective Chief Inspector Steve Hayes said: “Sarah Thomas died as a result of a brutal attack and I would like to reassure the local community that we are doing all we can to bring her killer to justice.

“We would particularly like to speak to Mr Baxendale in connection with the investigation and I would urge anyone who has information on where he might be to get in touch as soon as possible. We believe he may now be in Spain and we would ask anyone in the ex-pat community there who may have seen him recently to contact us.”

Any members of the public who know of Mr Baxendale’s whereabouts should contact Surrey Police on 0845 125 2222 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.