Girl is stabbed to death and found stuffed in freezer in ‘honour killing’
THE body of a teenage girl stabbed to death in a suspected “honour” killing has been found stuffed inside a freezer cabinet.
Police are understood to be investigating reports that the 19-year-old wanted to marry a boy of the same age but the match was met with hostility by some of her family, believed to be of Asian origin.
The girl and her 21-year-old cousin were kidnapped, taken to a £1.5million detached house in southwest London, held prisoner and then attacked, it is claimed.
The cousin escaped and banged frantically on neighbours’ doors covered in blood pouring from a slash wound to her neck. She then reached a private hospital nearby.
The girls had been reported missing two hours earlier and police had already been to two addresses in a vain attempt to find them.
They then raided the house in Kingston, south-west London, where the body of the 19-year-old was found in an American-style upright fridgefreezer.
Terrible
A neighbour said: “The police broke into the house with a battering ram and it was left lying in the drive.”
Another neighbour said: “The fridge-freezer had been pulled to the front door and was being examined and photographed. We’ve been told it was one of those honour killings.”
Detectives later arrested a 33-year-old man. Unconfirmed reports said he was seized at Dover as he tried to flee the country.
A 28-year-old man was detained in a car in New Malden, about three miles from the killing. Both were being held on suspicion of attempted murder.
A woman of 29 was also held and accused of aiding an offender.
She was later released but was still under investigation.
Detective Chief Inspector Samantha Price said: “We are doing everything we can to understand fully the circumstances of this terrible attack.
“One line of inquiry is that the women were taken against their will to the address in Kingston by a man whom they both knew. They were last seen safe and well in Merton, south London, before police were contacted about their safety and welfare.
“It’s clear both women were subject to a violent attack. Fortunately one of them got away. How this happened will form part of our investigation.
“I am keeping an open mind about the motive but we are currently not looking for anyone else.”
Police were last night searching the Merton house. Scotland Yard said the case had been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission because of the “short time between when the women were reported missing and one of them was found dead”.
Scotland Yard asked witnesses to call their incident room on 020 8721 4066 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.