Sabina Nessa killing: Met Police investigate stranger attack theory

Police are investigating whether Sabina Nessa was killed by a stranger as she walked to meet a friend at a pub.

The body of the 28-year-old teacher was found by a member of the public in Cator Park, Kidbrooke, south-east London, on 18 September.

Officers believe she was attacked shortly after leaving her Astell Road home at about 20:30 BST last Friday.

Speaking at a press conference, Det Ch Supt Trevor Lawry said: "The streets are safe for women."

He added: "People should be free to walk around free from fear and officers are here to make sure that can take place."

Asked whether police believe Ms Nessa was attacked by a stranger, he said: "That is definitely a line of inquiry that we are looking at."

A man in his 40s who was arrested on suspicion of murder the day after Ms Nessa's body was found was later released under further investigation.

The police press conference was held on the same morning London mayor Sadiq Khan said violence against women was a national "epidemic".

Appearing on ITV's Good Morning Britain, he said: "Between last year's International Women's Day and this year's International Women's Day, 180 women were killed at the hands of men across the country.

"We do have an epidemic when it comes to violence against women and girls."

He called for violence against women to be treated with the same level of priority as counter-terrorism.

Police have not yet established a motive for the attack on Ms Nessa, although they do not believe the killing is linked to any other incident in the area.

A post-mortem examination into the cause of the 28-year-old's death was inconclusive, the Met said.

Asked for any details about how Ms Nessa died, Det Ch Supt Lawry said he could not release any information "at this time".

Ms Nessa was killed on a short walk to meet a friend at The Depot bar.

The five-minute journey to the pub would have taken the teacher through Cator Park, near where her body was found.

Ms Nessa's sister paid tribute to the "beautiful, talented and caring" teacher on social media.

"Never in my life did I or my sisters or my mum or dad think this could happen to us," she said.

A vigil is due to be held in Ms Nessa's memory on Friday evening.

The gathering is being organised by a Kidbrooke community group with the support of Reclaim the Streets, which held a vigil for murder victim Sarah Everard in Clapham Common that ended in mass arrests.

Police said they would be part of the vigil on Friday.