Man charged with murder after woman, 66, stabbed to death in Edgware
A man has been charged with murder after a woman was stabbed to death in broad daylight on a busy road in north London.
Jalal Debella, 22, was due to appear at Willesden Magistrates’ Court on Saturday charged with murder and possession of an offensive weapon.
He was arrested in the Colindale area on Thursday, 9 May.
Police were called to reports of a stabbing on Burnt Oak Broadway, Edgware, at about 11.50am on Thursday.
Ambulance crews and police attended and a woman aged 66, who has not yet been named, was found suffering from stab wounds.
She was treated by paramedics but died at the scene.
The Met said following the stabbing there would be an increased police presence in the area over the coming days to reassure locals.
There were 244 murders involving a knife or sharp instrument in England and Wales in the 12 months to March 2023, Office for National Statistics (ONS) data shows.
Some 78 of the victims were people under the age of 25.
Overall crime involving a knife or sharp object is on the up.
ONS data published last month showed there were 49,489 of these types of offences recorded by police between January 2023 and December 2023 - an increase of 7 per cent on the previous year.
The ONS said there was a “noticeable increase” of 20 per cent in the number of robberies involving a knife or sharp instrument.
West Midlands was the policing area with the highest amount of these types of offences at 180 per 100,000 of population.
The Met, which covers most of London, was second with 165 offences per 100,000 of the population.
Cleveland, the policing area covering Middlesbrough, Stockton, Hartlepool and Redcar was third with 143.
Anyone with information that could assist police with the Edgware murder investigation is urged to contact the Met, quoting reference CAD3105/9May.
Crimestoppers can also be contacted anonymously and free on 0800 555 111.
