Sabina Nessa: Hundreds pay respects at London vigil

Hundreds of people have joined a vigil for teacher Sabina Nessa who was killed as she walked to a pub in south-east London.

The 28-year-old was discovered in Cator Park in Kidbrooke, by a member of the public on Saturday.

She had been walking to meet a friend at The Depot bar last Friday, a journey which “should have taken five minutes”.

Crowds have gathered at Pegler Square, not far from where a wanted suspect was captured on CCTV.

Police say identifying the balding man, who was seen with something in his hands, could be “vital” to the case.

The wanted man, who was wearing grey jeans and a black jacket, can be seen looking over his shoulder and pulling up his hood as he walks along the pavement.

Jebina Yasmin Islam, Sabina Nessa’s sister, broke down as she addressed crowds at the vigil.

She said: “I just want to say thank you to everyone who came today to show support for my sister.

“We have lost an amazing, caring, beautiful sister, who left this world far too early.”

She told the crowd how Sabina had loved her family.

She said: “Words cannot describe how we are feeling, this feels like we are stuck in a bad dream and can’t get out of it – our world is shattered, we are simply lost for words.

“No family should go through what we are going through.”

The Duchess of Cambridge said she was “saddened by the loss of another innocent young woman on our streets” as police continued the hunt for Ms Nessa’s killer.

In March, the duchess privately visited the memorial to murdered marketing executive Sarah Everard in Clapham Common, south-west London, after the 33-year-old was killed by off-duty police officer Wayne Couzens.

“Say her name. Sabina Nessa. We will never forget,” was the request from the leaders of the vigil.

Hundreds gathered here in Pegler Square all said her name. Sabina Nessa.

This is the square the 28-year-old teacher was walking to this time last week. She never made it.

Now Londoners from across the city, many of them holding candles and laying flowers, are listening on this quiet, still autumn evening to the vigil speakers.

Dozens more silhouetted figures observe from the tower blocks overlooking Pegler Square.

Many observers are crying, listening to the speakers including Sabina Nessa’s sister who says her family’s world has been shattered.

But while a community joins together in grief, just behind the vigil, police have sealed off an area. Yellow evidence markers dot the road.

As one person spoke emotionally of Sabina Nessa, a forensics officer combed the bushes, a reminder that this is still very much an ongoing investigation.

Two men arrested on suspicion of Ms Nessa’s murder have now been released pending further investigation, while detectives remain keen to trace a third man captured on CCTV near where Ms Nessa was killed.

Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolfe urged anyone who may know the man to contact them.

Are you taking part in a vigil for Sabina Nessa? Please share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

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