Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Aug 27, 2025

A London teacher was killed on a walk to the pub, police say. Another tragedy in the UK's gender violence epidemic

A London teacher was killed on a walk to the pub, police say. Another tragedy in the UK's gender violence epidemic

Sabina Nessa, a 28-year-old teacher from south London, is believed to have been murdered on the five-minute walk from her house to a pub, police say, sparking renewed outcry about the UK's epidemic of violence against women and girls.

London's Metropolitan Police has arrested a 38-year old man on suspicion of the murder.

In a statement on Thursday, the Met said the suspect had been arrested at an address in Lewisham. "He was taken into custody where he remains," the statement read.

Earlier in the day, the Met said Nessa had left her home in the borough of Greenwich just before 8:30 p.m. on September 17. Detectives believe that she was walking through Cator Park toward a bar in Pegler Square, where she had planned to meet a friend.

Police are also searching for another man in connection with Nessa's murder, having released a picture of him and of a silver vehicle they believe he has access to.

Nessa is thought to have been murdered on her journey through the park, the Met statement said, with her body found the following afternoon, close to a nearby community center.

"Sabina's journey should have taken just over five minutes but she never made it to her destination," Detective Chief Inspector Joe Garrity said, adding: "We know the community are rightly shocked by this murder -- as are we -- and we are using every resource available to us to find the individual responsible."

Garrity has appealed for anyone in the area of the park around the time of the attack to come forward.

Zubel Ahmed, Nessa's cousin, told ITV News on Wednesday that the family is still in shock, and that the news of her death has left them "devastated" and "inconsolable."

Nessa, who taught at a primary school in Lewisham, southeast London, was "truly the most kind, caring person out there," Ahmed said. "I don't understand how someone can do this, I really don't. It's a big, big loss to our family," he said.

Epidemic of violence against women


Nessa's death comes six months after the UK was left reeling following the assault and murder of 33-year-old Sarah Everard.

Everard went missing after leaving a friend's house in Clapham, south London, on March 3. Her body was found a week later, more than 50 miles from where she was last seen. Her killer, a serving police officer, pleaded guilty to her kidnap, rape and murder.

Everard's story prompted an outpouring across social media from women sharing their own experiences of sexual assault and harassment, catapulting the UK's damning record on violence against women and girls into the national spotlight.

More than 200 women were killed between March 2019 and 2020 in the UK, according to data from the Office for National Statistics and the Scottish government.

One woman is killed by a man on average every three days in the UK, according to data from the Femicide Census, an organization that tracks violence against women and girls. The group argues that the government's new strategy to curb such violence "shamefully ignores" victims of femicide.

Following Nessa's death, many are pointing out that little has changed. In a message posted to Twitter on Wednesday, Women's Equality Party leader Mandu
Reid said: "The media have been asking today: have things gotten better since Sarah Everard's murder? The answer is NO."

Reid added that the "muted" reaction from the press and a "lack of public outcry" for Nessa -- a woman of color -- "demonstrates, once again, that not all victims are treated with the same respect and reverence."

In the wake of Everard's murder, the UK media's problematic relationship with diversity and race was again put under the spotlight. Many activists and social media users drew a comparison between the coverage of Everard's killing and the death of a 21-year-old Black business student, Blessing Olusegun, which garnered little national media attention. Olusegun's body was found on a beach on England's south coast in September 2020. Her "unexplained" death was not treated as suspicious by local police.

On Thursday, Greenwich Council told CNN that they had handed out 200 personal alarms to women and vulnerable residents in the borough this week "following the horrific murder of Sabina Nessa."

The small device can be attached to keys and handbags or held, and activate a loud alarm in the event of an attack, a Greenwich Council spokesperson said in a statement, adding that the alarms have been distributed at events since 2019.

But women shouldn't have to be on the defense. A report from a police watchdog in July said that "radical," cross-sector reform is needed to protect women and girls from an "epidemic" of crime.

Police should make the "relentless" pursuit and disruption of perpetrators a priority, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services said.

From 2008-2018, 1,425 women were killed by men, according to Femicide Census data. The majority (62%) of those murders were committed by a woman's current or former partner, while 15% of women were killed by men that they knew. One in 12 (8%) of those murders were by strangers.

Speaking on the Good Morning Britain program on Thursday morning, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said "we have to give this issue the same seriousness we give other issues," adding that it was time to "make misogyny a hate crime."

A vigil, organized by the group "Reclaim These Streets" will be held for Nessa on Friday at 7 p.m. at Pegler Square in Lewisham.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
Nurse who raped woman continued working for a year despite police alert
Drought forces closures of England’s canal routes, canceling boat holidays
Sweet tooth scents: food-inspired perfumes surge as weight-loss drugs suppress appetites
Experts warn Britain dangerously reliant on imported food
Family of Notting Hill Carnival murder victim call event unmanageable
Bunkers, Billions and Apocalypse: The Secret Compounds of Zuckerberg and the Tech Giants
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
×