Police charge son of stabbed woman

8:46am Thursday 15th May 2008

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Neighbours have spoken of the moments before a woman was killed at her Finchley home in the latest brutal stabbing in the borough.

The body of Christiana Kuye, 69, was found by police at her home in Station Road, at about 3am last Friday.

Her son Kayode Edward Kuye, 44, who is unemployed and of no fixed address, appeared at Brent Magistrates Court on Saturday charged with her murder.

He had been arrested at Finchley Central Tube station about half an hour before his mother's body was found.

A post mortem on Saturday gave the cause of death as stab wounds.

One neighbour said: "I heard a woman screaming like a baby. There was some shouting and she was talking in a language I couldn't understand.

"The police came and were shouting to open the door. My wife was scared. We didn't know what was going on."

Another neighbour added: "It is sad that someone lost their life for nothing.

"No one has the right to take another person's life and it is a shame to happen to anyone. When it happens to someone you know it is very sad."

Police were alerted to the scene after maintenance workers spotted a man acting suspiciously in Finchley Central Tube station.

Following the incident, DI Dick Turner of the MET's homicide and serious crime command said: "We appreciate the public-spiritedness of the Tube workers who called police having observed the man."

The latest incident follows the double stabbing of two Orthodox Jews in Golders Green last month and the murder of Joseph Fox in New Barnet in January.

Latest police figures show there have already been more than 100 stabbings in London this year.

In Barnet borough, there were 261 knife-related crimes reported between April 2007 and the end of March 2008.

Chief Superintendent Stephen Kavanagh, Borough Commander for Barnet, stressed the need to highlight to people the dangers of carrying knives.

He said: "Knife related violence in Barnet remains an issue of concern.

"Barnet Police in partnership with others will continue to increase efforts to prevent people suffering serious injury through crime."

Mr Kuye was remanded in custody to appear at the Old Bailey on August 15.