Woman found stabbed to death in London garden amid concern over rise in violent crime

Man arrested at scene, as the capital's murder rate is described as 'horrifying'

A murder investigation has been launched after a woman was found stabbed to death in the back garden of a London home.

A man was arrested at the scene in Tunnel Avenue, Greenwich, after police were called at 11.30am on Saturday.

It is understood the suspect and victim, both aged in their 50s, were known to each other but police said the incident is not thought to be domestic.

The killing comes amid growing concerns about a rise in violent crime across the UK, with more than 70 murders in the capital alone in 2018 – a figure described as “horrifying” by London Assembly member Steve O'Connell.

"Our great city is gaining a depressing reputation for violence,” said earlier this week. “We will never accept that this horrifying situation is the new normal for London. Londoners deserve better.”

Knife crime has rocketed by 22 per cent in a year in England and Wales, according to figures released by the Office for National Statistics in April.

The latest killing was discovered just hours after an unrelated incident in which a man in his 30s was found dead outside Greenford Underground Station in west London.

Scotland Yard has said that death is currently being treated as “unexplained” following reports of a fight at 1.45am.

Another man, also in his 30s, was found at the scene suffering head injuries and is currently being treated in hospital.