Family are 'inconsolable' following death of London teacher, Sabina Nessa
The 28 year old's body was discovered on Saturday
Last updated 24th May 2022
The cousin of London teacher, Sabina Nessa, has said her family are inconsolable following her death.
The 28 year old's body was discovered in Cator Park in Kidbrooke on Saturday, although police believe she was attacked at around 8.30pm on Friday night.
Zubel Ahmed described Sabina as the 'kindest, sweetest girl you could meet.' He said;
"We're still in shock. It's been a few days but it's still not sunk in yet.
We are all truly devastated. Her parents are absolutely shocked, they're inconsolable still and understandably so, to hear of their daughter being taken away from them by some cowardly man is just horrific.
She honestly was the most caring person, kindest, sweetest girl you could meet. Sabina's heart was as good as gold, she never had a bad word to say about anyone. Her sister is going to miss her so much.
She's just got a beautiful soul she's a caring person. She's left behind two cats, when we were at her house the other day the cats were looking for her."
He added: "She's just going to be truly missed. I just can't find the words to express my sadness at this time."
Police arrested a man in his 40's on suspicion of murder, but he has been released under further investigation.
Speaking at Scotland Yard, Detective Superintendent Luke Marks said;
"We are horrified by the shocking murder of Sabina Nessa, and our thoughts remain with her family and friends.
"We are asking you, the public, for your help with this investigation.
"This did not happen in the middle of the night; people would have been in and around the park at the time."
A post-mortem examination carried out at Greenwich Mortuary on Monday was inconclusive.
Ms Nessa worked at Rushey Green Primary School in Lewisham. Lisa Williams, the head teacher described her as "brilliant", "kind" and "caring".
Mrs Williams said:
"We are devastated by Sabina's tragic death.
"She was a brilliant teacher; she was kind, caring and absolutely dedicated to her pupils.
"She had so much life ahead of her and so much more to give and her loss is desperately sad.
"As a school we are supporting each other through this very difficult time, and we will be providing specialist support to those who need it."
Following the death of Sabina Nessa, women in the area have told us they are now scared to go out alone. Co-founder of Reclaim These Streets Jamie Klinger told us her death is heartbreaking.
"There are so many different people she would have influenced and it's just really disheartening to have her taken from society at the age of 28. It's just heartbreaking."
"It's really hard cause all the work we've done in the last six months feels like a drop in a bucket. It's so hard to keep doing this and to keep talking about it because every one of these women should be on the front of every newspaper. I just wish we didn't keep having to have this conversation."
Hear the latest news on Downtown on FM, DAB, smart speaker or the Rayo app.