The arrest came after an analysis of forensic materials, with the arrested man taken into custody to be interviewed. John Luper was attacked by a group of masked men as he walked his dog near his home on Sandmoor Drive, Alwoodley, on the evening of 16 February 2004. He was dragged into his detached family house, where his wife, daughter, and an au pair were tied up with duct tape and left in an upstairs bedroom.
The robbers took jewellery, clothes, and cash totalling around £100,000 during the violent home invasion. John Luper's wife, daughter, and au pair later managed to free themselves but found him unconscious downstairs. , and John Luper was pronounced dead at the scene.
The stolen stash included a rare platinum and diamond Cartier watch, which was one of only four sold in the UK at that time. John Luper was a director of a clothing firm and a property leasing company and a non-executive director of a sports and media group. A post-mortem examination revealed that John Luper died from asphyxia.
West Yorkshire Police do not anticipate any immediate developments at this stage of the investigation. West Yorkshire Police are urging anyone aware of people making inquiries into John Luper and his business dealings around the time of the murder to come forward with names.