‘Mother’ is arrested for murder of baby by ‘cutting its throat’ at Wembley home

A woman has been arrested today on suspicion of murdering her baby by ‘cutting its throat’ in Wembley after horrified neighbours heard screams. 

One local told how a woman dressed in black was taken away in handcuffs by police this morning at an address in Wembley, north-west London.  

The woman had screamed at the policeman as she was arrested while the baby’s father was ‘hysterical’, according to the neighbour. 

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police told MailOnline that all parties involved were known to each other, but would not discuss further details. 

Ilona Sidorova, 45, said she made coffee for a woman investigating the incident who told her that the ‘lady killed her baby – eight months old – for no reason’.

She said: ‘The lady who I made coffee for said that the mother killed the baby, cut the neck and called to the husband and said ‘I killed your baby.”

Ms Sidorova said that she was ‘shocked’ to find emergency services vehicles and hear screaming after returning home from work. 

‘I came back after my night shift, but there was some noise and screaming in front of the door. What I saw first was the woman covered in black,’ she said.

‘She was already wearing handcuffs and was screaming for the policeman. I saw the lady in black screaming and about 15 metres away there was a man. 

‘He was hysterical, he was screaming and the police took him in the car and then took her too. I just saw them as neighbours – that’s it. 

‘They were looking so friendly, all of them. There were seven or eight people living there, more than one family. I would see them and speak with them. Sometimes children came and I allowed them to pick blackberries.

‘I was shocked. I work as a nurse in a house for people with mental health problems so I see people with those problems, but I never saw anything strange or suspicious.’

Earlier a convoy of marked and unmarked police cars lined the street while forensics officers, dressed in hazmat suits, walked back and forth from the house to their van.

A single police car remains outside the semi-detached house in Wembley.  

Roy Smith, Met Police North West Commander, said: ‘This is a tragic incident and my thoughts are with all those affected including the family and our first responders who rushed to the scene.

‘Whilst I know the effects of this death will reverberate throughout the local community, please be reassured that we are doing everything we can to investigate and, at this early stage, are not seeking any other person in connection with the death.

‘I would like to hear from anyone who feels they may have information that could assist our investigation to understand this horrific tragedy.’ 

 

A Met Police spokesman said: ‘Officers were called to an address in Preston Road, Wembley, at 9.51am to a report of an injured infant.

‘Officers and London Ambulance Service attended. A baby, believed to be less than a year old, was pronounced dead at the scene.

‘Next of kin are being supported by specially trained officers. A woman was arrested today and remains in custody.

‘It is believed that all parties involved were known to each other. At this early stage, police are not looking for anyone else in connection with this incident.’ 

The latest death, which comes just two days after a man was stabbed in Ealing, is the 12th murder to hit the capital in the last 18 days.

Last week, figures from the ONS revealed police-recorded offences involving a knife or sharp instrument rose to 46,265 for the year to March.

This was 51 per cent higher than when data of this kind was first collected in 2011 and is the highest number on record, the report said.

The number of such offences rose seven per cent in London, but dropped 10 per cent in West Yorkshire and remained the same in the West Midlands – the three areas of the country with the highest rate per 100,000 population.

The report said: ‘Knife or sharp instrument offences continue to be concentrated in metropolitan areas across England and Wales, with around a third (34 per cent) of all offences recorded by the police in London.’

The highest rate was also seen in London, with 179 offences per 100,000 population This compared with an England and Wales average of 82 offences per 100,000.

According to the latest statistics, assault with injury and assault with intent to cause serious harm offences, and robbery, each accounted for 44 per cent of all offences involving a knife or sharp instrument (20,333 and 20,159 respectively).

The ONS report added: ‘Offences involving knives or sharp instruments have been experiencing a rising trend since the year ending March 2014, although in recent years the rate of increase has slowed.’