US Virgin Islands SARM HESLOP: Missing from boat moored off St. John, US Virgin Islands - 7 March 2021 - Age 41 (1 Viewer)

Hunt for missing Brit after boyfriend told cops 'she may have fallen' from yacht

A search has been launched for Sarm Heslop who was last seen on the 47ft Siren Song in the US Virgin Islands on March 7 - her boyfriend believes she may have fallen overboard

www.dailystar.co.uk

Hunt for missing Brit woman after boyfriend told cops 'she might have fallen' from yacht​

An urgent search is underway for a British woman who has gone missing from her yacht in the Caribbean.

Sarm Heslop, 41, was last seen onboard the 47ft Siren Song in the US Virgin Islands last Sunday (March 7) - and her boyfriend told cops she might have fallen overboard in the night.

Her passport and all of her belongings were left on the boat where the pair were living, which was estimated to be worth around £500,000.

The vessel, which her partner owns, is rented out to charter guests who she takes on a tour of the islands for around £5,000-a-week.

A U.S. Coast Guard spokesman said that Sector San Juan received a call from him on Sunday, around 11.46 am.

The pair had gone to sleep at around 10 pm, and “at 2 am he woke up and realised that she was not on board.”

Nancy Grace questions boyfriend’s ’10-hour delay’ in reporting girlfriend missing from his catamaran

CrimeOnline’s Nancy Grace says she is “curious” about several aspects of the case of former airline attendant Sarm Heslop, who has been missing since she disappeared from her boyfriend’s catamaran while it was moored in the US Virgin Islands overnight on March 7. “I’m questioning the timing...

www.crimeonline.com

Nancy Grace questions boyfriend’s ’10-hour delay’ in reporting girlfriend missing from his catamaran​

CrimeOnline’s Nancy Grace says she is “curious” about several aspects of the case of former airline attendant Sarm Heslop, who has been missing since she disappeared from her boyfriend’s catamaran while it was moored in the US Virgin Islands overnight on March 7.

“I’m questioning the timing here,” Grace told Fox News, noting that the 41-year-old Heslop’s boyfriend, identified as American Ryan Bane, 47, told authorities the couple went to St John for dinner that evening then returned to the 47-foot catamaran, Siren Song, at about 10 p.m.

“He says they watch a movie and fall asleep,” Grace said. “At around 2 a.m., he says, he hears an alarm, the anchor alarm alerting him the ship is getting away from its mooring.”

At that point, Bane told police, he discovered Heslop, a Brit, was missing. Her belongings — including her cell phone — were still on board, and the boat’s dinghy was still there, as CrimeOnline previously reported. But the Virgin Islands Daily News reported that Bane didn’t call the US Coast Guard until almost noon on Monday.


MEDIA - SARM HESLOP: Missing from boat moored off US Virgin Islands since 7 March 2021 - Age 41

 

[Summer_Breeze]

Sarm Heslop: Mother of British woman missing in US Virgin Islands asks President Biden for help finding her daughter

Three years after going missing from her boyfriend's catamaran, Ms Heslop is still officially missing, but her mother now believes she was killed. The family have recruited a former Met Police homicide commander to assist in the search.

news.sky.com

US correspondent @marthakelner
Thursday 21 March 2024 09:33, UK

The family of a British woman who has been missing for three years in the US Virgin Islands are pleading for help from President Biden to find her.

Sarm Heslop, a former air hostess from Southampton, was living what seemed to be her dream life in the US Virgin Islands, a group of Caribbean islands known for their white sand and turquoise waters.

<snip>

Island police have never interviewed Mr Bane, never forensically searched the boat and refused assistance from the FBI.

"They've not done their jobs as police officers, not done their job as human beings," Ms Street said.

Speaking from Essex, where she now lives, Ms Street called for the US authorities to remove the case from the Virgin Islands police.

"I emailed President Biden," she said. "But he didn't reply. I'm asking for his assistance, for some department of his to help us."

The family have recruited a former Metropolitan Police homicide commander, David Johnston, to assist in the search for Ms Heslop. He has written to Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron to urge him to push the US authorities to oversee the Virgin Islands Police Department investigation.

Mr Johnston said: "What I think we really need now is for David Cameron as the foreign secretary to hold his counterpart in the US, who's the secretary of state for the interior, to account, to demand the governor on the island, please give clear and unambiguous answers to the family regarding what they've done or what else could be done. And to consider the formal interview of the boyfriend to ask him what happened that night."

Mr Bane has a domestic violence conviction. In 2011 he was jailed for assaulting his ex-wife, Cori Stephenson.

In a statement, a lawyer for Mr Bane said: "While we empathise with Sarm's family's frustration, Ryan Bane had nothing to do with Sarm's disappearance. Ryan is heartbroken that Sarm went missing... The coastguard was twice on the vessel conducting a search and questioning Ryan. They had unfettered access to the vessel and Ryan answered all questions posed to him."

A UK Foreign Office spokesperson said: "We are assisting the family of a British woman who has been reported missing in the US Virgin Islands and are in contact with the US Virgin Islands Police and the US coastguard."

The Virgin Islands Police Department didn't respond to repeated requests for comment.

 

[Summer_Breeze]

VIPD still mum on information in missing woman case

The V.I. Attorney General’s Office has not taken over an investigation into Sarm Heslop’s disappearance, and V.I. Police have not responded to questions about the status of the three-year-old case.

www.virginislandsdailynews.com

• By SUZANNE CARLSON Daily News Staff
• 3 hrs ago

The V.I. Attorney General’s Office has not taken over an investigation into Sarm Heslop’s disappearance, and V.I. Police have not responded to questions about the status of the three-year-old case.

Heslop, 41, had been living and working aboard the catamaran Siren Song, owned by her boyfriend, Ryan Bane, when he reported her missing in the early hours of Monday, March 8, 2021.
Heslop’s friends and family recently issued a statement following a March 11 post on the website, Loop Caribbean News. The website said a V.I. Police spokesman had responded to questions about the case in an email: “There is no further development in this investigation and [it] has been referred to the Attorney General’s Office.”

“We have, of course, written to the USVIPD to ask for an update following this reference to Sarm’s case being referred to the Attorney General,” according to a statement from David Johnston, former Commander of Homicide and Serious Crime at Metropolitan Police, who is serving as official liaison for Heslop’s parents, Brenda Street and Peter Heslop.

“We have received no response. We seek clarification on exactly what this means for the investigation. Why has it been referred to the Attorney General? We have asked the UK’s Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office and Governor Albert Bryan to support us,” Johnston added.

On Monday, Justice Department spokeswoman Sandra Goomansingh responded to questions from The Daily News via email, and said Acting V.I. Attorney General Ian Clement is not handling the case. Government House announced Clement’s appointment Saturday, after Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. recently terminated Attorney General Ariel Smith.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

More at link. ~Summer

 

[GrandmaBear]

Gee no responses from Biden, the USVIPD and more. Not surprised.

I feel for her family but clearly power does what power wants or gives a sh*t.

I hope they make enough noise. And that someone takes this up for them and makes it big. Because it isn't.

 

[Summer_Breeze]

Missing woman's family still asking for meeting

Missing woman Sarm Heslop’s friends and family are calling on the Virgin Islands government to re-examine her case, following the resignation of V.I. Police Commissioner Ray Martinez.

www.virginislandsdailynews.com

• By SUZANNE CARLSON Daily News Staff
• 3 hrs ago

Missing woman Sarm Heslop’s friends and family are calling on the Virgin Islands government to re-examine her case, following the resignation of V.I. Police Commissioner Ray Martinez.

Heslop, 41, had been living and working aboard the catamaran Siren Song, owned by her boyfriend, Ryan Bane, when he reported her missing in the early hours of Monday, March 8, 2021.

More than three years later, the family is no closer to finding out what happened to Heslop, and have repeatedly criticized the police department and Martinez for failing to meet with them and provide updates.

Martinez resigned on June 18 amid a federal investigation into the department’s contracts with Mon Ethos Pro Support, a cyber surveillance company run by David Whitaker, a convicted felon.

Now, the family says they want a meeting between Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. and their family advocate David Johnston.

“We have been seeking this meeting for over 18 months and despite assurances from Police Commissioner Ray Martinez, he failed to engage with us. We see this as an opportunity for the Governor to demonstrate his zero-tolerance stance and reassure not just us, but the wider island community that he supports openness, transparency and effective policing on the island,” according to a press release issued by the family Tuesday.

V.I. Police representatives have deferred questions for updates on cases to Acting Commissioner Mario Brooks, but attempts to make contact with Brooks have not been successful.

Meantime, The Daily News was unable to determine whether Bryan or another government representative intends to meet with Heslop’s family.

There also has been no update on the investigation into contracts with Mon Ethos.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Missing woman's family still asking for meeting

Missing woman Sarm Heslop’s friends and family are calling on the Virgin Islands government to re-examine her case, following the resignation of V.I. Police Commissioner Ray Martinez.

www.virginislandsdailynews.com

• By SUZANNE CARLSON Daily News Staff
• 3 hrs ago

Missing woman Sarm Heslop’s friends and family are calling on the Virgin Islands government to re-examine her case, following the resignation of V.I. Police Commissioner Ray Martinez.

Heslop, 41, had been living and working aboard the catamaran Siren Song, owned by her boyfriend, Ryan Bane, when he reported her missing in the early hours of Monday, March 8, 2021.

More than three years later, the family is no closer to finding out what happened to Heslop, and have repeatedly criticized the police department and Martinez for failing to meet with them and provide updates.

Martinez resigned on June 18 amid a federal investigation into the department’s contracts with Mon Ethos Pro Support, a cyber surveillance company run by David Whitaker, a convicted felon.

Now, the family says they want a meeting between Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. and their family advocate David Johnston.

“We have been seeking this meeting for over 18 months and despite assurances from Police Commissioner Ray Martinez, he failed to engage with us. We see this as an opportunity for the Governor to demonstrate his zero-tolerance stance and reassure not just us, but the wider island community that he supports openness, transparency and effective policing on the island,” according to a press release issued by the family Tuesday.

V.I. Police representatives have deferred questions for updates on cases to Acting Commissioner Mario Brooks, but attempts to make contact with Brooks have not been successful.

Meantime, The Daily News was unable to determine whether Bryan or another government representative intends to meet with Heslop’s family.

There also has been no update on the investigation into contracts with Mon Ethos.

Wow, a PC who was consorting with a convicted felon who ran a cyber surveillance company.

And now an interim acting commissioner who has made no contact with the family nor have they reached him.

And then a hope that the governor will talk to them and demonstrate a zero tolerance stance but no word on that either...

Officials in places like this are not going to last if they don't have an ability to turn a blind eye... In my cynical opinion. They have an economy and a tourist trade and more BECAUSE of this, that free and easy, anything goes, island atmosphere... That will bite you in the butt though if you need justice or a serious investigation. I'm not even going to touch on the money that passes hands, just going to the basic thing and they aren't going to have it wrecked by some crime where some woman was murdered. These places are paradise you know and all is happy and nothing bad happens there....

Unfortunately when you see past the facade, it's far more than that going on...

Good luck to her family and I hope they get somewhere and people help yell and pressure. And these may be "our" Virgin Islands but it is still not being on US soil in the continental US where you can also fight for justice but not the same as when you leave our country. Seems to me they are only getting stonewalled even by the interim acting commish and the governor...

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

New three-part BBC documentary investigates the case of missing British woman Sarm Heslop who disappeared from a Caribbean charter yacht

Missing in Paradise: Searching for Sarm investigates the circumstances around Sarm Heslop's disappearance

www.bbc.com

New three-part BBC documentary investigates the case of missing British woman Sarm Heslop who disappeared from a Caribbean charter yacht​

On the night of 7 March 2021, Sarm Heslop disappeared from Siren Song, a luxury charter yacht in the Caribbean where she was living with her boyfriend, Ryan Bane. She hasn’t been seen since and her body has never been found.

Now in a new BBC documentary series Missing in Paradise: Searching for Sarm (3x30’), journalist Tir Dhondy investigates the circumstances around her disappearance: did she vanish of her own accord? Was there a terrible accident? Or has something more sinister happened?

Tir Dhondy said: “Sarm's possessions including her passport, wallet and phone were still onboard the catamaran when she vanished. There are so many unanswered questions about her disappearance. I’ve tested the theories and the timeline to understand the facts in this missing person case that has left a family devastated.”

Over three episodes Tir retraces Sarm’s steps whilst also interviewing the police who led the investigation, the coastguard and possible witnesses. Featuring testimony from the people closest to Sarm, friends and family describe the nightmare they have faced since she went missing and have been fighting for answers about what happened that night ever since.


Missing in Paradise: Searching for Sarm is a BBC Current Affairs documentary series for BBC Two and BBC Three. It is Directed by Alexander Nott and the Executive Producer is Sarah Waldron. The commissioners are Nasfim Haque for BBC Three, and Joanna Carr for BBC Current Affairs.

Missing in Paradise: Searching for Sarm will air on BBC Two at 10pm on Wednesday 17 September, Thursday 18 September and Friday 19 September. All three episodes will be available on BBC iPlayer from 6am on Wednesday 17 September.

Missing in Paradise: Searching for Sarm will also be shown on BBC Three from 9pm on Monday 22 September.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Could new CCTV finally solve mystery of missing British woman in Caribbean?

Missing Sarm Heslop's family have not been able to 'grieve properly.'

metro.co.uk

Could new CCTV finally solve mystery of missing British woman in Caribbean?​

Sarm Heslop, 41, vanished from her boyfriend Ryan Bane’s yacht near St John in the US Virgin Islands on March 8, 2021.

The new footage shows the couple walking on a jetty in Cruz Bay before they board a dinghy to Bane’s 47ft, £500,000 Siren Song catamaran, just six hours before Sarm was reported missing.

Mr Bane, 49, has said that she must have either fallen overboard from the yacht or drowned while swimming as he was asleep.

He noticed she was missing after being woken up by his anchor alarm at 2am.

However, he did not alert the coastguard until 11.46am the following morning.

Officers reported finding Mr Bane ‘heavily intoxicated’ and that he refused to allow them to search the boat and failed to provide paperwork.

He is yet to be formally questioned by police, the Telegraph reports.

The new CCTV clip will be shown in an upcoming BBC documentary entitled Missing in Paradise: Searching for Sarm, which will air on Wednesday.

Sarm’s mother Brenda and her close friends have vowed to keep searching for information in order to ‘lay her to rest’.

Accepting that her daughter is likely no longer alive, Brenda said she had not been able to ‘grieve properly’.


While he claims the pair returned to the yacht at 10pm that night, the CCTV footage shows them boarding the dinghy for the boat at 8.45pm, a journey which would normally take just ten minutes.

Several hours passed before he reported her missing, a timeline labelled ‘suspicious’ by US Virgin Islands police commissioner Mario Brooks.

Mr Bane’s lawyer, David Cattie, who spoke to the BBC documentary, said there was no evidence the yacht owner was involved in Sarm’s disappearance and challenged any notion the sequence of events was unusual.

He said the timeline inconsistency could be explained by the stress Mr Bane was under.

 

[Guess Who]

Be STILL hasn't been interviewed by LE! What connections does this guy have?

 

[Tresir]

I watched a TV program about this case tonight and it was pretty good.
Here's a link about the program.

Mystery of British woman Sarm Heslop who disappeared from a luxury Caribbean yacht

CCTV footage from 2021, released exclusively to the BBC, contains the last-recorded sighting of Sarm Heslop.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

'I didn't murder her': Boyfriend of missing British yachtswoman breaks silence

Ryan Bane, 49, in his first direct comments since Sarm Heslop, 41, went missing from his yacht in 2021 said the couple were in a ‘loving, caring’ relationship

www.standard.co.uk

'I didn't murder her': Boyfriend of missing British yachtswoman breaks silence four years after she vanished​

The boyfriend of a missing British yachtswoman has broken four years of silence to declare that they were a “loving, caring couple” and deny suggestions of guilt.

Ryan Bane, 49, said that he has been placed under a “false sense of suspicion” in his first direct comments since Sarm Heslop, 41, went missing from his yacht in the US Virgin Islands in 2021.

The American boat captain issued an extraordinary five-page “open letter” in which he sought to argue that he has been unfairly depicted.

“The truth is simple: I wanted to protect myself and followed my attorney’s legal advice to safeguard my rights,” he said of his decision to hire a lawyer, decline questioning by police and prevent forensic experts from searching his vessel after his girlfriend’s disappearance.

“My decision was framed as suspicious rather than prudent,” he said.

The comments came after BBC documentary Missing in Paradise: Searching for Sarm aired last week.


“The CCTV released shows Sarm and me as a loving, caring couple on the night she disappeared. We are seen hand-in-hand, affectionate and relaxed,” Mr Bane said.


Mr Bane said that claims that he did not join the search for Heslop were “not true”, that no one observed “signs of a fight, no evidence of an argument, and nothing on my person — such as scratches or marks — that would suggest a struggle.”

“At the same time, there are serious gaps in the official handling of the case that should not be ignored,” he said, such as the 911 call in which he reported her missing and the lack of an initial police report of her disappearance.

“This lack of timely reporting and the loss of crucial evidence created open holes in the official record — holes that have fuelled speculation ever since,” he said.

Mr Bane told the Times he was convicted of misdemeanour domestic violence against his ex-wife, Cori Stevenson, in 2011 and sentenced to 60 days in jail.

Ms Stevenson, who divorced him in 2014, has previously attempted to obtain protection orders, though they were denied.

Mr Bane admitted to the conviction, but said: "I categorically deny any allegation that I harmed or murdered Sarm."

Mr Bane also objected in his open letter to being labelled a “person of interest” by police — an unofficial term used by law enforcement to identify someone who officers wish to speak with because they may have information about a crime.

“It is not a charge, not a finding … ‘Person of interest’ is legally meaningless and carries no standing in court or under the law. Leaving that out [of reporting] only perpetuated a false sense of suspicion,” Mr Bane said.

 

[Tresir]

For someone innocent he sure has a lot to say. At least he has surfaced so KE should know his address and details now.
So LE have declared him a POI? Last person to see her alive by the look of it. Maybe more details will come out now.

 

[Guess Who]

'I didn't murder her': Boyfriend of missing British yachtswoman breaks silence

Ryan Bane, 49, in his first direct comments since Sarm Heslop, 41, went missing from his yacht in 2021 said the couple were in a ‘loving, caring’ relationship

www.standard.co.uk

'I didn't murder her': Boyfriend of missing British yachtswoman breaks silence four years after she vanished​

The boyfriend of a missing British yachtswoman has broken four years of silence to declare that they were a “loving, caring couple” and deny suggestions of guilt.

Ryan Bane, 49, said that he has been placed under a “false sense of suspicion” in his first direct comments since Sarm Heslop, 41, went missing from his yacht in the US Virgin Islands in 2021.

The American boat captain issued an extraordinary five-page “open letter” in which he sought to argue that he has been unfairly depicted.

“The truth is simple: I wanted to protect myself and followed my attorney’s legal advice to safeguard my rights,” he said of his decision to hire a lawyer, decline questioning by police and prevent forensic experts from searching his vessel after his girlfriend’s disappearance.

“My decision was framed as suspicious rather than prudent,” he said.

The comments came after BBC documentary Missing in Paradise: Searching for Sarm aired last week.


“The CCTV released shows Sarm and me as a loving, caring couple on the night she disappeared. We are seen hand-in-hand, affectionate and relaxed,” Mr Bane said.


Mr Bane said that claims that he did not join the search for Heslop were “not true”, that no one observed “signs of a fight, no evidence of an argument, and nothing on my person — such as scratches or marks — that would suggest a struggle.”

“At the same time, there are serious gaps in the official handling of the case that should not be ignored,” he said, such as the 911 call in which he reported her missing and the lack of an initial police report of her disappearance.

“This lack of timely reporting and the loss of crucial evidence created open holes in the official record — holes that have fuelled speculation ever since,” he said.

Mr Bane told the Times he was convicted of misdemeanour domestic violence against his ex-wife, Cori Stevenson, in 2011 and sentenced to 60 days in jail.

Ms Stevenson, who divorced him in 2014, has previously attempted to obtain protection orders, though they were denied.

Mr Bane admitted to the conviction, but said: "I categorically deny any allegation that I harmed or murdered Sarm."

Mr Bane also objected in his open letter to being labelled a “person of interest” by police — an unofficial term used by law enforcement to identify someone who officers wish to speak with because they may have information about a crime.

“It is not a charge, not a finding … ‘Person of interest’ is legally meaningless and carries no standing in court or under the law. Leaving that out [of reporting] only perpetuated a false sense of suspicion,” Mr Bane said.

I get that he was taking his attorney's advice but what I don't get is why a search warrant for the boat was never made. I've seen far less reasons that were granted. More update with the authorities at this point.

 

[Tresir]

I get that he was taking his attorney's advice but what I don't get is why a search warrant for the boat was never made. I've seen far less reasons that were granted. More update with the authorities at this point.

I think he took the boat and hid it then changed the name and registration. I still don't think LE know where exactly the boat is.

 

[Miccistella]

'I didn't murder her': Boyfriend of missing British yachtswoman breaks silence

Ryan Bane, 49, in his first direct comments since Sarm Heslop, 41, went missing from his yacht in 2021 said the couple were in a ‘loving, caring’ relationship

www.standard.co.uk

'I didn't murder her': Boyfriend of missing British yachtswoman breaks silence four years after she vanished​

The boyfriend of a missing British yachtswoman has broken four years of silence to declare that they were a “loving, caring couple” and deny suggestions of guilt.

Ryan Bane, 49, said that he has been placed under a “false sense of suspicion” in his first direct comments since Sarm Heslop, 41, went missing from his yacht in the US Virgin Islands in 2021.

The American boat captain issued an extraordinary five-page “open letter” in which he sought to argue that he has been unfairly depicted.

“The truth is simple: I wanted to protect myself and followed my attorney’s legal advice to safeguard my rights,” he said of his decision to hire a lawyer, decline questioning by police and prevent forensic experts from searching his vessel after his girlfriend’s disappearance.

“My decision was framed as suspicious rather than prudent,” he said.

The comments came after BBC documentary Missing in Paradise: Searching for Sarm aired last week.


“The CCTV released shows Sarm and me as a loving, caring couple on the night she disappeared. We are seen hand-in-hand, affectionate and relaxed,” Mr Bane said.


Mr Bane said that claims that he did not join the search for Heslop were “not true”, that no one observed “signs of a fight, no evidence of an argument, and nothing on my person — such as scratches or marks — that would suggest a struggle.”

“At the same time, there are serious gaps in the official handling of the case that should not be ignored,” he said, such as the 911 call in which he reported her missing and the lack of an initial police report of her disappearance.

“This lack of timely reporting and the loss of crucial evidence created open holes in the official record — holes that have fuelled speculation ever since,” he said.

Mr Bane told the Times he was convicted of misdemeanour domestic violence against his ex-wife, Cori Stevenson, in 2011 and sentenced to 60 days in jail.

Ms Stevenson, who divorced him in 2014, has previously attempted to obtain protection orders, though they were denied.

Mr Bane admitted to the conviction, but said: "I categorically deny any allegation that I harmed or murdered Sarm."

Mr Bane also objected in his open letter to being labelled a “person of interest” by police — an unofficial term used by law enforcement to identify someone who officers wish to speak with because they may have information about a crime.

“It is not a charge, not a finding … ‘Person of interest’ is legally meaningless and carries no standing in court or under the law. Leaving that out [of reporting] only perpetuated a false sense of suspicion,” Mr Bane said.

Somehow it just feels like the Natalee Holloway case.....

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Last man to see missing British yachtswoman alive planning to sue BBC

American boat captain Ryan Bane, who employed Ms Heslop as a chef on his boat before she vanished five years ago, is said to be enraged by the documentary.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Last man to see missing British yachtswoman Sarm Heslop alive planning to sue BBC over documentary​

The last man to see missing British yachtswoman Sarm Heslop alive is planning to sue the BBC over a documentary which alleged he was not telling the 'full story' about her disappearance, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

American boat captain Ryan Bane, who met Ms Heslop on dating app Tinder and employed her as a chef on his boat before she vanished five years ago, is said to be enraged by the documentary Missing in Paradise: Searching for Sarm, which aired last September.

The programme recounted the events of the night Sarm, 41, went missing in March 2021, when she returned to Bane's £500,000 Siren Song boat, moored off St John in the US Virgin Islands.

Bane, 49, who has not been interviewed by police, has always insisted via his legal team that he woke at 2am to find her missing, and believes she fell overboard or drowned while swimming.

But the programme, presented by journalist Tir Dhondy, included claims made by Sarm's friends – who launched the Find Sarm campaign – that Bane 'wasn't telling us the full story'.

It also featured interviews with his ex-wife Cori Stevenson, who alleged she had been violently assaulted by him and choked until she 'passed out' – a claim Bane insisted was 'unproven or false' in a statement on Facebook last year.

A well-placed source in the US told the MoS: 'Ryan feels his name has been trashed. He wants to sue both individual members of the Find Sarm team and the BBC. He's claiming defamation and trying to find a legal firm to represent him in the UK. As well as fighting back against the allegations, he wants to draw a line under what happened and move on with his life.'

 

[Guess Who]

Last man to see missing British yachtswoman alive planning to sue BBC

American boat captain Ryan Bane, who employed Ms Heslop as a chef on his boat before she vanished five years ago, is said to be enraged by the documentary.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Last man to see missing British yachtswoman Sarm Heslop alive planning to sue BBC over documentary​

The last man to see missing British yachtswoman Sarm Heslop alive is planning to sue the BBC over a documentary which alleged he was not telling the 'full story' about her disappearance, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

American boat captain Ryan Bane, who met Ms Heslop on dating app Tinder and employed her as a chef on his boat before she vanished five years ago, is said to be enraged by the documentary Missing in Paradise: Searching for Sarm, which aired last September.

The programme recounted the events of the night Sarm, 41, went missing in March 2021, when she returned to Bane's £500,000 Siren Song boat, moored off St John in the US Virgin Islands.

Bane, 49, who has not been interviewed by police, has always insisted via his legal team that he woke at 2am to find her missing, and believes she fell overboard or drowned while swimming.

But the programme, presented by journalist Tir Dhondy, included claims made by Sarm's friends – who launched the Find Sarm campaign – that Bane 'wasn't telling us the full story'.

It also featured interviews with his ex-wife Cori Stevenson, who alleged she had been violently assaulted by him and choked until she 'passed out' – a claim Bane insisted was 'unproven or false' in a statement on Facebook last year.

A well-placed source in the US told the MoS: 'Ryan feels his name has been trashed. He wants to sue both individual members of the Find Sarm team and the BBC. He's claiming defamation and trying to find a legal firm to represent him in the UK. As well as fighting back against the allegations, he wants to draw a line under what happened and move on with his life.'

One word. Discovery.

 

[Kimster]

One word. Discovery.

I guess he doesn't think it will hurt him!

 

[Guess Who]

I guess he doesn't think it will hurt him!

The "trying to find a legal firm to represent him" makes me believe that and all the legal firms have told him it will or he hasn't even talked to anybody to think of that.