Woman stabbed in Peckham hours after teens protest against knife crime

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Pics: Knife crime

Pics: Teens protest in Islington

Plus: Number of child stab victims doubles

A grieving family pleaded for information about the fatal stabbing of a teenager tonight as police hunted yet another knife killer in the capital.

Dee Willis, 28, was attacked outside a Lidl supermarket on Bellenden Road, just off Peckham High Street, south-east London, at about 11pm last night.

Neighbours said she recently lost twins after suffering a miscarriage.

Her death follows that of 16-year-old Ben Kinsella, who became the 17th teenager to die violently in the capital this year when he was stabbed in Islington, north London, at the weekend.

Appealing for witnesses to come forward, Ben's sister, the former EastEnders actress Brooke Kinsella, said tonight: "Unfortunately the police have told us that they know of others who can provide crucial evidence, but they have chosen not to tell the police what they know."

Three young men, two aged 18 and one aged 19, remain in police custody on suspicion of the murder.

No arrests have been made in the investigation into last night's stabbing, although it is believed police made an unsuccessful raid at an address connected to the main suspect.

Sources close to the investigation said police believe they know the identity of the woman attacker, who is thought to have known the victim.

The pair may have been drinking together throughout the day in local pubs.

Ms Willis, from the Peckham area, was taken to King's College Hospital with stab wounds to her upper body but was pronounced dead shortly after midnight.

Within hours of the attack Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, who lives in the neighbourhood where the latest attack happened, was on GMTV saying knife crime "is not more serious" than it has been.

She said: "This is only something that we can solve if we come together - Government, police, young people, community groups - in the same way that we've done tackling guns and gangs."

Yesterday, Cherie Blair admitted she fears for her children's safety when they are out on Britain's streets.

But Ms Smith said: "Knife crime, although we are very worried about it, it is not more serious than it has been previously."

At the beginning of the year Ms Smith sparked controversy by saying she would not walk alone after dark in parts of London, but later added she recently went out for a kebab in Peckham.

No-one was in at the flat in Nunhead Crescent, Peckham, where it is believed Ms Willis lived with her boyfriend.

But Steve Osman, a 54-year-old plumber, who lived below the victim, said she had recently been pregnant but miscarried, resulting in the loss of twins.

He said: "She kept herself to herself. I only really saw her when she was walking her two dogs."

Another neighbour said: "She lost twins about a month ago. I think she was around seven months gone."

The controller of a nearby taxi firm said a group of 10 to 20 young women were seen at the scene of the crime last night.

He said: "It is happening around here almost every night. At around 7pm to 8pm people arrive and start drinking in the streets.

"They lose their brains and it turns violent."

Wayne Stevenson, 28, lived in the same block of flats as the victim and described himself as a friend.

He said: "She partied a lot but she would never get legless.

"She was just a good girl, quite shy, didn't make a lot of noise but a genuine decent person."

A post-mortem examination is due to take place tomorrow at Greenwich Mortuary.

As police investigated the death, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair stood alongside London Mayor Boris Johnson at City Hall today to reveal that 1,214 people have been arrested during a crackdown on knife crime.

A total of 528 knives were recovered as a result of 26,777 searches during Operation Blunt 2 between May 19 and June 29.

Sir Ian said: "I know the communities of London understand that this is something they and the police have to solve together.

"I promise that the Met is in this for the long haul and we will do everything in its power to stop these murders continuing."

Mr Johnson, who lives in Islington, said: "Everybody is shocked by the level of violence we are seeing, particularly towards young people in London, and we must all work as hard as we can together to reverse this dreadful trend."

The Home Office said it was "totally committed" to combating knife crime.

"That is why we have doubled the maximum sentence for carrying a knife from two to four years, increased the use of stop and search by police and invested in a national £3 million advertising campaign to challenge the fear, glamour or peer pressure that can drive young people to knife crime," a spokeswoman said.

Pics: Knife crime

Pics: Teens protest in Islington

Plus: Number of child stab victims doubles