Croydon: Teenage boy in custody after 15-year-old girl is stabbed to death with ‘foot-long knife’
The teenage boy being held after a 15-year-old girl was stabbed to death in south London was known to local community groups, according to a charity worker who works to combat youth violence.
The girl, who has not been named, was stabbed in the neck with a foot-long knife while on her way to private school during Wednesday morning rush hour in Croydon, a witness said.
A 17-year-old boy, who knew the victim, was arrested just over an hour after the attack which took place on busy Wellesley Road at around 8.30am.
Witnesses have said the girl and her alleged attacker were not in a relationship.
Anthony King, chairman of My Ends – a project helping combat youth violence in Croydon, said the boy had been known to local community groups for the past couple of years.
Mr King was with the girl’s family after the incident and said they were “heartbroken”.
He added: “She had a bright future ahead of her. She was in her GCSE year.”
Mr King described the girl as an “absolutely incredible young lady” and told of how others said she was “jovial, very comedic”.
Meanwhile, a steady flow of well-wishers left flowers and cards near the scene on Wednesday evening.
One of the cards left near to where the attack took place read: “Sorry we live in this crazy world this makes no sense.
“Fly high up there my mummy will look after you. RIP beautiful, forever young, taken too soon.
“Thoughts and prayers are with your family and friends, God bless.”
Another said: “Rest in peace little princess. So sad your life is taken away at your prime you have touched my soul.”
Emergency services were called to Wellesley Road at around 8.30am but the girl was pronounced dead at the scene 50 minutes later.
One of the cards left at the scene
‘The blood was coming like water’
A bus driver and a passer-by were seen desperately trying to save the girl before emergency services arrived, with police at the scene within two minutes.
The suspect was arrested within 75 minutes of the stabbing in nearby New Addington.
Victor Asare, 50, told how he saw a boy stab the girl in the neck with a knife which was “black, thin and about a foot long”.
“The boy wore a black blazer, the girl wore green. It looked like the girl didn’t want the boy to come closer,” said the security worker. “The blood was coming like water.”
He said the boy ran away and “everybody was crying and screaming”, adding: “The girl was on the floor.
“We tried to catch him and a lot of people tried to save the girl. I was so shocked, I was shaken. It’s somebody’s daughter.”
A well-wisher arrives at the scene with flowers
‘Is my friend dead?’
Michael Fyffe, a passer-by, told Sky News he was on his way to work when he saw a “commotion” and was told a girl had been stabbed.
He said: “There were loads of people who had just come off the bus and then I think two of the girl’s friends came out and they were trying to rush over towards the body.
“So myself and a few of the other people tried to hold her back and just say, ‘Look let them try and help your friend’, and she was just screaming, ‘Is my friend dead? She’s my best friend’.”
A forensic officer works on a double decker bus behind the police cordon
The girl was pronounced dead at the scene at around 9.20am
A mother of two, who wanted to be named only as Bridget, said: “I was on the bus before and came off and walked back down, I saw them resuscitating her.
“The driver was holding her, and a lady. The emergency services were already here when I walked back.”
She said two other schoolgirls, believed to be the victim’s friends, were trying to get through the police cordon but were held back.
A red double decker bus on route 60, three police vehicles and about a dozen officers, as well as a forensics tent, could be seen in the taped off area outside the Whitgift Centre.
Chief Superintendent Andy Brittain said at a news conference from the scene: “This is every parent’s worst nightmare.
“I know the officers who responded this morning, along with our emergency service colleagues, are devastated at the victim’s death. This is an emotion I share, and I know people across Croydon will be feeling the same.”
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‘Every parent’s worst nightmare’
Girl’s family ‘devastated’
James Watkins, from Mainz World, which runs prevention and intervention projects for children and young people, said he was supporting the girl’s “devastated” family, who arrived on the scene between 9am and 10am.
“They were devastated and I would say more importantly in shock, I don’t think it feels real for them,” he said.
The Old Palace of John Whitgift School, which the girl attended, has said in a statement: “We are deeply shocked by the senseless and tragic death of our much-loved and valued friend and pupil.
“It will take some time for the Old Palace community to come to terms with this terrible news, and we will offer support to our pupils as we try to do so.
“Above all, we send our love and deepest sympathies to the girl’s family at this unimaginably distressing time.”
‘Impossible to comprehend’
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said he was “absolutely heartbroken” by the death.
“My thoughts and prayers are with this young girl’s family and friends, and the whole community, at this unimaginably awful time,” he said
Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said: “The senseless murder of a 15-year-old girl on her way to school is impossible to comprehend.
“It was moving and humbling to meet many members of the exceptional Croydon community who have come together in support of a family now dealing with the most unimaginable grief.”
UK
‘Major incident’ declared in Northern Ireland as wildfire breaks out amid higher-than-normal temperatures
A major incident has been declared in Northern Ireland after a wildfire broke out, the latest in a series of blazes seen across the UK over the past week amid soaring temperatures.
More than 100 firefighters and 14 fire appliances were at the scene of the “significant” wildfire on Sandbank Road, Hilltown, Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service said.
The fire had a front of approximately two miles “including a large area of forestry close to property”, the service said.
The wildfire on Sandbank Road, Hilltown. Pic: Sky Watch NI
“Local residents are requested to avoid the area, a number of roads have been closed, to help support firefighting operations,” the fire service added.
“We ask that all members of the public remain particularly vigilant to the risk of fire at this time. We can reassure members of the public that normal service delivery is being maintained.”
More than 100 firefighters were at the scene of the fire. Pic: Sky Watch NI
Various fires erupted across England this week amid uncharacteristically warm and dry conditions for the time of year.
On Saturday, helicopters were deployed to tackle Scotland’s fourth wildfire this week, with police saying a blaze “which started in the Newton Stewart area has spread northwards and is expected to reach the Loch Doon area of East Ayrshire around 12am on Sunday”.
Police Scotland added: “As a precautionary measure members of the public are asked to avoid the Loch Doon area and anyone who may be camping in the area is advised to leave.”
Moors Valley Country Park blackened by fires this week
Elsewhere in England, Devon and Cornwall Police said they were assisting the fire service with temporary road closures on the A30 in the Bolventor area as they tackle “a number of fires” on moorland.
In Dorset, Moors Valley Country Park was forced to close after multiple wildfires broke out there on Wednesday.
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Wildfires spread across nature reserve
Separate incidents were then reported at Upton Heath in Poole on Wednesday, and nearby Canford Heath in the early hours of Thursday.
Friday was officially the warmest day of the year so far – with temperatures in the south of England reaching 23C (73.4F) – the highest since 21 September last year, according to the Met Office.
The weather conditions triggered a “severe” wildfire rating for parts of the UK on Tuesday.
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