FORMER Surrey Police detective Peter Foster, who was jailed for life for murdering his police officer partner Heather Cooper at Haslemere last October, was found hanged in his cell in the early hours of Monday morning.

Foster, 36, who resigned from the force in 2009 after being arrested for drink-driving, was sentenced to a minimum of 17 years, on June 26, for the "wickedly savage and senseless" murder of Detective Constable Heather Cooper, in front of their young son.

Foster is understood to have been on 'suicide watch' at Lewes Prison, where he was found hanged in his cell at 3.25am.

It was the second death at the the prison in less than a week. A man who had been jailed for 11 years for killing his stepfather was found hanged in his cell just days before, last week.

During Foster's trial, Philippa McAtasney QC, defending, said Foster had made a "serious" attempt to commit suicide while on remand and was staying on a mental health wing of the prison.

Haslemere town councillor and former mayor Jim Edwards, who is a close friend of both families, said after the trial: "I was devastated by it and I still don't understand how it could have happened.

Responding this week to Foster's death, he told The Herald: "I had heard he was on suicide watch.

"It was going to be very difficult for him whatever happened. The whole thing is very, very sad."