A pregnant woman has been fatally stabbed in south London, and her baby was delivered at the scene, the Metropolitan Police has said.

An ambulance was called to a property in Thornton Heath at 3.30am on Saturday morning to reports of a woman in cardiac arrest.

Police attended with the ambulance service to find a woman, aged 26, with stab injuries.

Image: The ambulance was called out to the property at 3.30am

It was also established that the woman was eight months pregnant.

She died from her injuries at the scene.


Her child was delivered and taken to hospital, where they remain in a critical condition.

Next of kin has been informed and police await formal identification.

A 37-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and is in custody.

Detective Chief Inspector Mick Norman said: "This is a horrific incident in which a young mother has lost her life and her child is critically ill.

"Our sympathies go out to her devastated family; they are being supported by specially trained officers following this awful event, and I would ask that they are left alone at this time as they come to terms with the enormity of what has happened.

"A large crime scene is in place, and is likely to be in place for some time. Residents should be aware that if they have any concerns, or information they would like to share with us, that they can speak to any of the officers there, or call our incident room on 020 8721 4005.

"Alternatively please use the anonymous methods of reporting information to the police, such as Crimestoppers, if you wish.

Image: The woman was found with multiple stab wounds

"At the forefront of our enquiries is understanding what exactly has lead to these tragic circumstances, and we are doing everything we can to establish the facts."

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has offered his condolences, tweeting: "Violence against women has no place in our city, and horrific murders in the home like this show the scale of the problem we face.

"My heart goes out to this innocent child, and to the mother they have so tragically lost."

Violence against women has no place in our city, and horrific murders in the home like this show the scale of the problem we face.



My heart goes out to this innocent child, and to the mother they have so tragically lost. @MetPoliceUK are investigating - please help if you can. https://t.co/ia8vIuViET — Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) June 29, 2019

:: Anyone with any information should contact police on the dedicated Incident Room number of 0208 7214005, or ring 101 quoting CAD 1358/29 Jun or alternatively Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.