Man charged with murder of London student Sabita Thanwani

The 19-year-old was found dead at student accommodation in central London early on Saturday morning

Sabita Thanwani
Author: Liam ArrowsmithPublished 22nd Mar 2022
Last updated 22nd Mar 2022

A man has been charged with the murder of 19-year-old Sabita Thanwani, who was found dead at student accommodation in central London on Saturday.

Maher Maaroufe- who is 22- was arrested following a manhunt on Sunday, and is expected to appear in court later today (March 22).

Officers were called to Arbour House in Clerkenwell just after 05:00 on Saturday (19 March) where she was found suffering serious injuries.

She was later pronounced dead at the scene, and a post-mortem found she died as a result of sharp force trauma to her neck.

Specialist officers are continuing to support Ms. Thanwani's family, who in an earlier tribute, described her as "our angel."

The family statement added: "Her life, that we hoped would be long, was cut tragically short. She was ripped away from those who loved her so very dearly; her mum, dad, brother, grandparents, extended family and friends."

“In her short life, she helped so many. Sabita was pure and did not see bad in anyone, because there was no badness in her own awesome heart. We will never ever stop loving or missing our beautiful, irreplaceable Sabita. The girl that was an angel upon the earth is now an angel in heaven.

“We can only pray that lessons will be learnt and that somehow, there will come a day when girls and women are safe."

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