15-year-old Girl Stabbed to Death in South London
A 15-year-old schoolgirl in Croydon was fatally stabbed during Wednesday's morning rush hour. She was a student at Old Palace of John Whitgift independent girls' school. The incident occurred on Wellesley Road near the Whitgift shopping center at around 8:30 am. A 17-year-old boy, who knew the victim, has been arrested.
Social media footage captured multiple police cars and ambulances near a bus in Croydon on Wednesday morning. The Metropolitan Police confirmed the arrest of a boy who is acquainted with the victim.
Chief Superintendent Andy Brittain said: “Our immediate thoughts are with this young girl’s family who are facing the most tragic of news. Our officers are with the girl’s family to support them.
“I am in contact with the local community, who are clearly as concerned as we are about this tragic incident. I shall continue to update them throughout the day.”
Emergency services received a call about the stabbing on Wellesley Road in Croydon at approximately 8:30 am. Both ground and air ambulances were dispatched, but sadly, the girl was pronounced dead on-site 50 minutes later.
Approximately an hour and 15 minutes following the stabbing, the police arrested a teenage boy in connection with the girl's tragic death.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said he was “absolutely heartbroken” at the news of the girl’s death.
An eyewitness noted the victim and a boy had been on a bus together. She said an argument ensued between the pair, both in school uniform, led to the fatal stabbing.
She told the Standard: “They both got off the bus, she said something, then he pulled out a long knife with a jagged edge. It was like a machete or something. She was stabbed in the throat. I had to look away.”
This tragic incident marks the 15th teenage homicide in London this year, surpassing the total for the entire previous year. Just last week, Max Moy Wheatley, 19, tragically succumbed to a heart-stabbing incident in Jubilee Country Park, Petts Wood, Bromley, around 2:30 pm.
Last year saw 14 teenage homicides in the capital, predominantly resulting from stabbings. The most devastating year for teenage homicides in London was 2021 when 30 teenagers lost their lives.