Boy, 16, charged with murder of woman on Christmas Eve

A 16-year-old boy will appear in court charged with the murder of a 22-year-old woman in south London on Christmas Eve.

Kacey Clarke was found with a stab injury in a residential property at Spenlow House in Jamaica Road, Bermondsey, just after 10pm on Sunday December 24, the Metropolitan Police said.

She died at the scene.

The 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was arrested a short time later and taken into custody at a south London police station.

He is due to appear at Croydon Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.

Ms Clarke and the teenager were known to each other, police said.

Chief Superintendent Seb Adjei-Addoh, local policing commander for Southwark, said: “This is a tragic incident and my thoughts are with the woman’s family and friends at this incredibly difficult time.”

Detectives from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command are leading the investigation, and Detective Chief Inspector Brian Howie asked for anyone with any information to come forward.

He said: “Our investigation continues and a team of detectives are working at pace to establish what happened that resulted in a young woman losing her life.

“My thoughts, and those of my team, are with her family and friends at this awful time.

“One person has been arrested, however we still need to hear from anyone who was in the Spenlow House area between 7pm and 11pm on Christmas Eve and may have seen or heard anything suspicious.

“I would urge anyone with any information that may be relevant to our investigation, no matter how insignificant it may have seemed at the time, to come forward immediately.”

Ms Clarke’s family are being supported by specially trained officers and have requested their privacy is respected.