British-Bangladeshi teacher found murdered in London

A British-Bangladeshi teacher was found murdered in a London park had been on a five-minute walk from her home to meet a friend in a pub, police said on Thursday.

Sabina Nessa, 28, left her home in south London just before 8:30 pm local time on 17 September, making her way through Cator Park towards The Depot bar on Pegler Square in Kidbrooke Village, reports Reuters. 

She never arrived and her body was found in the park the next afternoon.

"Sabina's journey should have taken just over five minutes but she never made it to her destination," said Detective Inspector Joe Garrity, who is leading the murder investigation.

"If you think you saw Sabina or any suspicious behaviour in or around the park on Friday evening please speak to us."

A post mortem carried out on Monday was inconclusive, police said.

Police are investigating whether Sabina Nessa was killed by a stranger as she walked to meet a friend at the pub, reports the BBC.

Officers believe she was attacked shortly after leaving her Astell Road home last Friday.

Speaking at a press conference, Detective Chief Superintendent Trevor Lawry said: "The streets are safe for women."

"People should be free to walk around free from fear and officers are here to make sure that can take place," he added.

Asked whether police believe Nessa was attacked by a stranger, he said: "That is definitely a line of inquiry that we are looking at."

A man in his 40s was arrested on suspicion of murder the day after Nessa's body was found was later released under further investigation.

Police later said they had arrested a 38-year-old man in Lewisham, south London, on suspicion of murder. They also released pictures taken from security TV footage of a man and a vehicle, appealing to anyone who recognised either to make immediate contact.

"Any information as to his identity or whereabouts could be vital for our investigation," said Detective Chief Inspector Neil John.

The police press conference was held on the same morning London mayor Sadiq Khan said violence against women was a national "epidemic".

"Between last year's International Women's Day and this year's International Women's Day, 180 women were killed at the hands of men across the country. We do have an epidemic when it comes to violence against women and girls," Khan said. 

He called for violence against women to be treated with the same level of priority as counter-terrorism.

Police have not yet established a motive for the attack on Nessa, although they do not believe the killing is linked to any other incident in the area.

A post-mortem examination into the cause of the 28-year-old's death was inconclusive. A vigil is due to be held in Sabina Nessa's memory on Friday evening.