Boy, 16, arrested after woman stabbed to death in Bermondsey on Christmas Eve

The Met Police said the boy and the victim were known to each other

Author: Rosanna Robins Published 26th Dec 2023

A 16-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 22-year-old woman was stabbed to death in south London.

Police were called to Spenlow House off Jamaica Road in Bermondsey at just after 10pm on Christmas Eve.

Paramedics from the London Ambulance Service and the Air Ambulance provided emergency first aid but the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

The boy, who police say was known to the victim, was arrested nearby a short time later.

Chief Superintendent Seb Adjei-Addoh, local policing commander for Southwark, said: "This is a tragic incident and my thoughts are with the woman's family and friends at this incredibly difficult time.

"We recognise this will also have an impact on the wider community and we will have additional patrols in the area over the coming days to provide reassurance."

Detectives from the Met's Specialist Crime Command are leading the investigation, and Detective Chief Inspector Brian Howie asked for anyone with any information to come forward.

"Our investigation continues and a team of detectives are working at pace to establish what happened that resulted in a young woman losing her life," he said.

"My thoughts, and those of my team, are with her family and friends at this awful time.

"One person has been arrested, however we still need to hear from anyone who was in the Spenlow House area between 7pm and 11pm on Christmas Eve and may have seen or heard anything suspicious.

"I would urge anyone with any information that may be relevant to our investigation, no matter how insignificant it may have seemed at the time, to come forward immediately."

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.