Another London teen stabbed
2008-06-03 10:32
London - A man in his 30s was being questioned by police on Tuesday after a 15-year-old schoolgirl, who was found stabbed in a lift, became the 16th teenager to die violently in London this year.
Officers found the girl, who has not been named by police,
on Monday suffering from multiple stab wounds in the lift of a
block of flats near Waterloo Station.
Scotland Yard said detectives were keeping an open mind
about a motive for the attack but ruled out it being
gang-related.
Police said they had arrested the man in the Lambeth area
but gave no further details of the suspect.
Media reports said the suspect, who has not been named,
could have been obsessed with his victim and been stalking her.
A police spokesperson said on Tuesday he was still in custody
and being questioned by detectives.
Dead at the scene
The girl, who was still in her school uniform, was found by
a woman and her eight-year-old daughter suffering at least 10
stab wounds to her chest, neck and back, media reports said.
A post mortem was due to be staged later.
She had lived with her parents and older twin-siblings and
had celebrated her birthday at the weekend, newspapers said.
London's ambulance service said on Monday it had dispatched
a helicopter and ground ambulance to the scene shortly before 16:00.
"Sadly, despite extensive efforts to resuscitate the
patient, she was pronounced dead at the scene," an ambulance
service spokesperson said.
Knife crime has blighted the capital this year with several
killings dominating the headlines.
Authorities have since launched a campaign to discourage
knife crime in the capital. Newly-elected London Mayor Boris
Johnson has also made tackling youth violence a top priority.