Toddler stabbed to death

A two-year-old girl has been stabbed to death and her mother is in a serious condition after an incident at an east London flat.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "Police are investigating the suspicious death of a child in Barking. At approximately 12.15am the body of a girl, believed aged two, was found at a flat in Law House, Maybury Road, Barking.

"The child was pronounced dead at the scene. A post-mortem investigation has yet to be arranged. We believe we know her identity but await formal identification.

"A woman, believed aged in her 20s, was found suffering stab wounds. She was taken to an east London hospital where her situation is believed to be serious but not life-threatening.

A spokesman for Barking & Dagenham Council said the child was not on the child protection register and was not a child in care.

He could not comment on whether concerns had been raised to the council by other organisations or individuals, adding that the matter was subject to a police investigation.

It is believed the injured woman is not a council tenant at the nine-storey block but officials from the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham are checking whether her neighbours are and will send support officers as necessary.

A spokesman for the borough said there was a strong sense of community on the estate and that people would pull together.

"It's quite a pleasant place to live. It's cut off from the rest of London by the river and the A13, which creates the kind of close community that is unusual in London.

"We have a dedicated team of officers on the estate but I'm pretty sure the community will all support each other."

The estate was home to World Cup-winning England footballer Bobby Moore and current international John Terry, who both grew up there.

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