A Surbiton man who police have been hunting for months in connection with his mother's murder has been arrested after a woman was stabbed to death in broad daylight in Barcelona.

Sean Heiss, 28, who had left his flat in St Mark's Hill, Surbiton, sometime after Margot Sheehy was killed in Kingston, was arrested on Saturday.

Police had issued a European arrest warrant but a blunder had allowed him to walk away from a Spanish police station months ago.

Catalan police said today that they could not give information about a suspect but he was earlier described as an Irish national, called Sean H and aged 28, according to La Vanguardia newspaper.

The Barcelona newspaper, citing sources close to the investigation, reported that the woman was killed next to a cash machine in the morning.

She was transferred to hospital but died hours later at about noon.

The body of Mrs Sheehy, who worked for Intelliflo opposite Kingston polcie staion, was found at her Springfield Road flat on June 12.

Detectives initially believed the 58-year-old had died from head injuries but a post-mortem examination later revealed the cause of death as asphyxiation.

Mr Heiss was arrested in San Sebastian 10 days after his mother's murder, in connection with another minor offence involving allegations he threatened a woman with a knife, but released to return to a courtroom.

It is unclear why he was released by Spanish police or if the European arrest warrant reached the police station in time.