Neighbours have told of their shock and sadness after a woman was stabbed to death while her two children were at school.
Those who knew the 40-year-old from Bethnal Green in east London said she was “a lovely person” and that she had lived in the area for a long time.
She was pronounced dead at the scene after she was discovered with stab injuries at an address on Globe Road when she failed to pick up her children from school on Thursday afternoon.
Neighbours said police broke down the door of the property after the alarm was raised just after 4pm. On Saturday, police officers remained at the estate where the woman was discovered.
Mohammad Shamin, 57, a local businessman, said he often saw her walking around the area with her sons and described her as a good mother.
“So it was very strange when she wasn’t there for them to pick them up, that’s what caused the commotion,” he told PA news agency. “And when they found her it was very sad. People here are shocked, such a lovely person.”
Another neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous, said the aftermath was “chaotic”. “People were coming over to check and see what was happening. The police came and got in, they broke the door. It’s very sad, I didn’t know her well but she seemed nice.”
Others said she had lived in the area for a number of years and had two young boys around primary school age.
“She’s lived here a long time, we used to see her now and again with her two young boys,” a couple who lives nearby said. “They’d go out and about and were nice to have in the community.”
London ambulance service pronounced the woman, who has yet to be formally identified, dead at the scene. A postmortem examination was due to take place on Saturday. Her next of kin have been informed.
DCI Laurence Smith, who is leading the Met police investigation, said it was “heartbreaking”.
“A dedicated team of officers is working around the clock to trace the person responsible for this and my thoughts are with this woman’s family as they come to terms with their tragic loss,” she said.
“It is heartbreaking that yet another woman has been killed. All women and girls have the right to feel safe, at any time, day or night, in public or at home, and we will do everything we can to find those responsible for this.”
