Say Her Name: The Internet Reacts To The Murder Of Primary School Teacher Sabina Nessa

Detectives have released more information about the route Sabina Nessa was walking when she was killed in an effort to gain more information from potential witnesses. The 28-year-old primary school teacher originally from Bedfordshire, was murdered in public last Friday when walking through Cator Park in Kidbrooke.

According to the latest appeal from Met Police, detectives understand that Sabina left her home address on Astell Road, SE3 just before 8.30pm on Friday, 17 September. It is believed that she was making her way through Cator Park towards The Depot bar on Pegler Square, Kidbrooke Village where she planned to meet a friend.

Sabina never arrived at the pub and is thought to have been murdered as she walked through the park.

Yesterday, we reported that police were searching ‘a number of crime scenes’, and today they are making 'good progress'.

Sabina’s body was found by a member of the public on Saturday morning, with a post-mortem examination coming back inconclusive. Officers had initially arrested a man in his 40s on suspicion of murder, but he has since been released under further investigation.

Detective Superintendent Luke Marks has asked people to get in touch if they saw anything suspicious in the park, and for motorists with dashcam footage from the surrounding roads to contact police.

‘Our initial enquiries suggest that this attack happened at around 20:30hrs on Friday, 17 September, a time when the park was likely being used by many people from dog walkers to joggers,’ he said in a statement. ‘Sabina was found near the OneSpace community centre which we know is a facility used by lots of people and we would ask anyone who was in or around the area and who may have any information to come forward.

‘Did you see someone loitering or acting suspiciously?’ he asked. ‘Or did you see someone leaving the area in a hurry, perhaps running away? If you have any information, it is vital you tell us. We are working around the clock to deliver justice for the family of this young woman, and we need your help to do it.’

'We are incredibly grateful for all of those who have so far come forward and spoken to us but we believe there are still others out there who may have information that could help,' he said today. 'If you think you saw Sabina or any suspicious behaviour in or around the park on Friday evening please speak to us.

'Sabina’s journey should have taken just over five minutes but she never made it to her destination,' he concluded.

If you have any information that could help, you can contact 0208 721 4266, or 101. Alternatively contact Crimestoppers.

Chief Superintendent Trevor Lawry, responsible for local policing in Greenwich, also made a statement promising to better patrol the area in order to appease rising fear that the suspect still remains at large.

‘Our thoughts are first and foremost with Sabina’s family and friends following this shocking incident and we will continue to provide our support to them as the investigation progresses,’ he said. ‘We know this incident will be worrying to those who live and work in the community. Over the next few days, they can expect to see extra high-visibility patrols both in and around the crime scene as well as other open spaces across the boroughs of Lewisham and Greenwich.’

More than 200 personal alarms have been handed out to women by Greenwich council, which can be attached to keys, handbags or held in the hand. When its pin is pulled, a loud siren will help to draw attention.

'We have been distributing these alarms at events since 2019, but have issued over 200 alarms to women and vulnerable residents over the last two days particularly in the Kidbrooke area,' a Greenwich Council spokesperson told reporters. 'The team will continue to do this over the coming weeks, and further alarms will be purchased to ensure we can provide these to as many residents as we can.'

Sabina’s cousin told ITV that their family has been left 'inconsolable'. 'The shock has not sunk in. She was a beautiful, kind, caring soul,' said Zubel Ahmed. 'Nothing is making sense to us, why was she taken from us we just don't know.'

Lisa Williams, the headteacher of Rushey Green Primary School in Lewisham where Sabina worked, has also spoke of the entire schools devastation at this loss.

'She was a brilliant teacher; she was kind, caring and absolutely dedicated to her pupils,' Lisa said. 'She had so much life ahead of her and so much more to give and her loss is desperately sad.'

A vigil has been arranged for this Friday at 7pm in Pegler Square, Kidbrooke Village (it has been misspelled as Peglar in the below tweet). The community will be paying their respects to Sabina and her family, with those attending encouraged to bring a candle to light for the vigil. The nearest train station is Kidbrooke Station.

Social media users are now encouraging people to share their condolences and outrage about Sabina’s murder, using the hashtag #SayHerName, in an effort to demand real protections for women from violence.

Last week, a watchdog report into how the police tackle violence against women – which was commissioned after the murder of Sarah Everard – found that ending male violence was ‘not a priority’ within the police. Recommendations were made to improve preventative violence measures, but alas, we need action for those recommendations and reports to ever matter.

Earlier this month, Grazia conducted nationwide research in partnership with GoFundMe, after holding a discussion on the issue of women’s safety as part of our I Walk With Women initiative. Our research found 48% of women feel less safe when out alone now compared to six months ago, when Sarah Everard was murdered, despite 77% of both men and women agreeing the tragedy was a defining moment in terms of the conversation around women’s safety.

This research has been carried out in partnership with GoFundMe, who have created a centralised hub for those wanting to take action and help charities working to end male violence; visit gofundme.com/iwalkwithwomen.

Read More:

Tackling Male Violence Is ‘Not A Priority’ Within The Police, Watchdog Report Finds

Nimco Ali: 'Male Violence Against Women Creates An Endemic of Fear'

‘We Are Still Being Killed By Misogyny’