Hundreds hold vigil for woman, 28, found dead in London park

LONDON • Hundreds of people gathered in south-east London at a vigil on Friday night for Ms Sabina Nessa, a 28-year-old who was found dead in a park, in the latest case to spark public concern about women's safety.

The primary school teacher disappeared a week ago after leaving her home to go to a bar just five minutes' walk away.

Her body was found by a member of the public the following day, hidden in a pile of leaves.

The young woman's death, like that of 33-year-old Ms Sarah Everard in March, has galvanised public opinion over the safety of women in public spaces.

A 35-year-old teacher who attended the vigil carrying lilies told Agence France-Presse that Ms Nessa's death had caused her to fear for her own safety.

"She's a woman and a teacher so I feel kind of close to her," she explained. "I usually walk through that (park) to go to the gym. It could have been any one of us that day, so I'm still shaking. I'm still panicking."

In response to Ms Nessa's death, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson wrote on Twitter that his "thoughts are with the family and friends of Sabina Nessa at this deeply distressing time".

"I will be thinking of them tonight as people come together to pay their respects. We will do everything we can to prevent these abhorrent crimes and make our streets safer," he added.

As she paid her respects to Ms Nessa, Ms Emma Thomas, 27, from the nearby London area of Peckham said she had been left "completely devastated and angry" by the killing.

Echoing criticism that has come from some quarters, she said Ms Nessa, a British-Bangladeshi, had received less attention in news bulletins in comparison with the reaction to recent disappearances of white women.

At a news conference on Friday, Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolfe said the police were looking for a man seen near where Ms Nessa went missing on closed-circuit television footage.

Two men arrested on suspicion of murder in recent days have now been released pending further investigation, while detectives remain keen on tracing a third man captured on camera.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE