Santa tour girl’s boyfriend detained
A CZECH man has been detained on suspicion of stabbing his Scottish partner to death.
The body of Rebecca Johnson, 26, from Burntisland, Fife, was found on Saturday at her flat in the village of Kuttanen, Finland, where she worked with sledding dogs to provide Santa-themed excursions for tourists.
Her boyfriend Radek Kovac, 36, was arrested after a massive manhunt involving helicopters and huskies in temperatures of -30c.
Yesterday, Finnish police confirmed that after a court appearance he had been ‘imprisoned’ on suspicion of killing Miss Johnson, and that he was being ‘co-operative’.
Miss Johnson’s family and friends told how the ‘beautiful’ and ‘bubbly’ girl had ‘lived for her dogs’. Her Facebook page indicates she was in a relationship with Kovac and it is believed they met in Scotland, where they took part in dog races and set up a business selling racing equipment before moving abroad a year ago.
Jambo Smith, 36, chairman of the Sled Dog Association Scotland, said: ‘They seemed quite a strong couple. He wasn’t that talkative. She was definitely more bubbly. Radek kept himself to himself but Rebecca was quite outgoing.’
Kovac, from the Czech Republic, is believed to have lived in Stirling before moving to Aviemore, Inverness-shire.
HGV driver Paul McMonagle, 4 , who lived across the road from Kovac in Cowie, Stirling, said: ‘He was quiet and kept himself to himself. He didn’t drink. He lived there himself. There were girls in and out. There was a lot of shouting and brawling with one of the lassies he was with. You would hear arguing a lot.
‘He worked in a slaughterhouse. He would come home from work with bags of meat for the dog, a Rottweiler. He seemed nice.’
Miss Johnson’s family were thought to have travelled to Finland.
Finnish police said: ‘Lapland District Court has imprisoned the suspect. A 36-year-old Czech citizen is suspected of killing his 26-year-old long-term partner.
‘The crime is investigated as a murder. The suspect has been co-operative but hasn’t been able to clarify a specific motive for his suspected act. Police will continue investigations.’