Women warned to be 'alert' after lone female murdered in horrific attack in Ilford in early hours

WOMEN have been warned to be "alert" after a lone female was horrifically attacked in the early hours of this morning.

Another murder probe is underway in London after the woman later died in hospital.

She was the 47th homicide victim in the capital so far this year.

Police were called by London Ambulance Service at 2:44am on Sunday, June 26, to a seriously injured woman found in Cranbrook Road, Ilford.

Officers attended the location along with ambulance colleagues. A woman, aged 36, was taken to hospital suffering serious head injuries.

Despite the best efforts of medics who first attended the scene, and doctors in hospital, she died later on Sunday morning.

A crime scene remains in place.

The victim was walking along Cranbrook Road in the direction of Gants Hill Station when she was attacked.

Chief Superintendent Stuart Bell, who leads the Met’s East Area BCU, said: “Our investigation remains in the critical early stages and is now being led by homicide detectives from Specialist Crime.

“The woman had been subjected to a horrific assault and sadly passed away as a result of her injuries.

“Urgent enquiries have been under way since the very early hours of Sunday morning to identify the woman. At this time formal identification is yet to take place but the woman's family have been informed and are receiving support from specially trained officers.

“Teams of dedicated officers are working at pace to establish what happened and identify the person responsible. This includes full forensic examination of the scene and the surrounding area, house to house enquiries and a focus on identifying all available CCTV. No arrests have been made at this time.

“Local people will see a significant police presence in the area today and in the coming days.

“I understand that for women, particularly locally, this is an incredibly distressing incident, and I urge you to be alert but not alarmed.”

Detective Chief Inspector Mark Rogers, of the Met’s Specialist Crime North Command, is leading the investigation and said: “It is vital that my officers speak with every possible witness and everyone with information that may assist the investigation. We are appealing for anyone who was in the Cranbrook Road area of Ilford between 02:00hrs and 03:00hrs on Sunday morning to get in touch, including anyone who drove through the area and may have dashcam footage. We also want to hear from anyone who saw anything suspicious in the wider Ilford area overnight.”

Anyone with information or footage, or any witnesses, are asked to call the major incident room on 0208 345 3715.

Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org. They will never ask your name. They cannot trace your call, your IP address or the device you use.