‘May the world know her name’ – book of condolence opens in memory of Sabina Nessa

A book of condolence has been opened at a community centre near to where Sabina Nessa lived and was killed.

A steady stream of local people have been arriving to pay their respects to the primary school teacher.

The 28-year-old woman had been walking to meet a friend at a nearby pub when she was fatally attacked in Cator Park near her home in Kidbrooke, southeast London.

Her body was discovered by a member of the public last Saturday, with reports suggesting it had been hidden under a pile of leaves.

The OneSpace centre has set up the book for visitors to write messages to remember Sabina and to send condolences to her family.

“Please know that we are here, we will continue to stand with you all in solidarity… as a community – as mums, fathers, sisters, cousins, aunts and grandparents,” one message read.

Another person wrote: “I pray that our daughters will be safe on the street and that your death will not be in vain, but will change the situation for women.”

A further tribute said: “May the world know her name for bringing light and justice.”

There is also a separate multi-faith prayer room for mourners to have a moment of quiet reflection.

The building had been cordoned off by police as they conducted a search of the surrounding park and it remained closed until the weekend “as a mark of respect”, the owners said.

They said in a statement: “OneSpace staff and trustees would like to express their deepest condolences for the family and friends of Sabina Nessa after her tragic death on Friday evening near to the OneSpace building.

“On Saturday we will reopen the cafe, there will be a prayer room for all who wish to use this space.

“We will also have a book of condolence for anyone who wishes to write something.”

So far, police have arrested two men on suspicion of her murder, but both were subsequently released under investigation.

Metropolitan Police remain keen to track down a third man spotted near where Ms Nessa was killed on the night she died.

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They released a short video showing a balding man wearing a black hooded coat and grey jeans, holding an orange object, looking over his shoulder, and pulling at his hood.

An image has also been circulated by officers of a silver car they believed the man had access to and appealed for anyone with information to contact the force immediately.

On Friday, hundreds of mourners gathered together for a candlelit vigil in Ms Nessa’s memory, where her sister broke down in tears saying: “We have lost an amazing, caring, beautiful sister, who left this world far too early.”

“Words cannot describe how we are feeling, this feels like we are stuck in a bad dream and can’t get out of it.

“Our world is shattered, we are simply lost for words”.

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Earlier this week, she released a statement urging everyone to walk on busy streets when walking home from work, school, or a friend’s home.

Ms Nessa’s uncle, Shahin Miah, read out a statement at a rally at the East London Mosque, saying her death has “once again brought to the fore the question of women’s safety on the streets”.

He added: “We don’t want what happened to Sabina to happen to anyone else.

“We don’t want any other mother’s chest to be empty or filled with deep sorrow, or to see the tears in the eyes of any father.”

The Duchess of Cambridge shared a personal message on Twitter, describing how she was “saddened by the loss of another innocent young woman on our streets”.

Sky News understands flowers were laid at the vigil on behalf of the duchess.