London’s first fatal stabbing of 2019 comes five hours into the New Year

The capital's first knife death of 2019 came in the early hours of January 1

A young woman has been stabbed to death in Camberwell, south London. It took less than five hours for the capital to see its first killing, following a year with the highest rate of violent deaths for nearly a decade. There were 132 homicides in London in 2018. The Metropolitan police and London ambulance service rushed to John Ruskin Street at 4.20am and battled to save the 30-year-old woman's life. She was pronounced dead at the scene. A 34-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder and he remains in custody in south London, police confirm. The woman’s next of kin have not been informed and formal identification is yet to take place.

---

Anyone with information is asked to contact officers via 101 quoting reference 2651/1Jan. You can also call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or tweet police via @MetCC.