Nurse stabbed to death was chorister in Britain’s Got Talent final
A WOMAN who was murdered in Battersea has been named as a Britain’s Got Talent finalist.
Simonne Kerr, a nurse at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital, was found suffering from a knife wound by police at an address in south west London.
The 31-year-old stunned audiences on ITV after appearing on Britain’s Got Talent as part of the NHS choir B Positive, created to raise awareness for blood donations. Her son had died from a blood disorder. She was pronounced dead on Wednesday in the Victorian terrace flat where she was staying.
Desmond Sylva, a 40-year-old man, was arrested at the scene and was last night charged with murder. It is the 90th homicide investigation in the capital this year. Police reassured residents, telling them: “It’s not gang-related.” Scotland Yard said detectives are not looking for any other suspects.
Ms Kerr’s next-of-kin have been informed and a post-mortem examination took place yesterday. A neighbour said: “I heard someone called the police because they heard screaming and shouting. Everyone had their windows open because it’s warm, so I guess someone might have heard it.”
The B Positive choir was a wild-card entry into the final of Britain’s Got Talent this year, losing out to comedian Lost Voice Guy.
Ms Kerr revealed on the show how she took solace in the choir following the death of her six-year-old son Kavele, from sickle cell disease, an inherited blood disorder, in 2015. The group of NHS nurses and doctors left the show’s judges Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon in tears.
Ms Kerr had discovered she was a sickle cell disease carrier during a routine 12-week pregnancy scan.
Kavele’s father was then screened and discovered that he was also a carrier for the disease, giving their son a one in four chance of being a carrier.
Kavele was diagnosed at only five days old after a heel-prick test.
At the time of the competition she said: “I got to spend six wonderful years watching Kavele grow and though there were a handful of trips to hospital in his short life, I was positive that he would live a full life into adulthood. I lost him in 2015.”
She added: “Singing can be such an uplifting experience so joining the B Positive choir seemed the obvious way to raise awareness of the urgent need for more young and black people to give blood while doing something positive and motivational.”
Ms Kerr studied to become a nurse, qualifying in January this year, and joined Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital in February as a staff nurse in haematology and oncology.