Johanita Dogbey: man charged with murder of woman stabbed to death by ‘stranger’ - family pay tribute

A man has been charged with the murder of a woman who was ambushed at “random” and stabbed to death in the street in south London.

Mohamed Nur, 33, will appear in court accused of murdering Johanita Kossiwa Dogbey, 31, who was found with fatal knife wounds in Stockwell Park Walk, Brixton, on 1 May. She had been on the phone to her grandmother at the time of the brutal daylight attack, who heard a “terrible scream”.

Nur is also charged with three counts of causing grievous bodily harm against two women and a man who suffered slash injuries in separate incidents in Brixton, which took place within an hour-period on 29 April. He faces two further charges for possession of an offensive weapon.

Following the fatal stabbing of Ms Dogbey, police said they believed she was approached from behind and attacked at “random”. They added that there was nothing to suggest she and Mur were known to each other.

Ms Dogbey’s heartbroken family have released a moving tribute to her, saying in a statement: “We are devastated by the news of the passing of our daughter. Johanita was a smart, dedicated, and loving girl who always helped anyone. She hasn’t got one bad bone in her body. She wouldn’t hurt a fly.

“We can’t believe a senseless crime like this has happened as we can’t imagine who would do this to her. Our hearts are completely broken and will not understand why someone would take our beautiful girl away from us. She will forever be in our hearts as we will carry on living life as gracefully and beautifully as she did.”

The Met Police launched an “urgent” investigation after they were called to reports of a stabbing shortly after 4pm on 1 May. Officers, the London Ambulance Service, and London’s Air Ambulance attended, but Ms Dogbey was tragically pronounced dead at the scene.

Mur was arrested on 2 May, and officers were granted a further warrant of detention on 3 May, which allowed for an extra 36 hours of questioning. He was charged on 5 May.

Ms Dogbey’s loved ones gathered around the police cordon that was in place on Monday (1 May) - and many were seen to be praying. One neighbour, a mother-of-two, 52, told the Evening Standard: “I was with her dad at the crime scene. He said his daughter had gone to buy a present for her mother and was on her way home.

“She was on the phone to her grandmother when she was attacked. The grandmother heard a terrible scream and then the phone dropped. The grandmother phoned the dad who then tried to call his daughter’s number but got no answer.”

She added: “The dad was broken and his family devastated. They have no idea why anyone would do this to her. They are a lovely family.”

Det Ch Supt Seb Adjei-Addoh, local policing commander for Lambeth, said in a statement on 3 May: “I am in regular contact with officers leading the investigation into this brutal attack, and my thoughts continue to be with the woman’s family and friends as they come to terms with this awful news.

“We will do everything we can to support them at this unimaginably difficult time. I recognise that the community will be experiencing worry and considerable concern and we have extra officers out in the community to answer questions and provide a visible presence.

“My police neighbourhood policing teams have visited local community centres and businesses taking on board concerns and to ensure we are having the right conversations with local people at this time.”

Nur is due to attend Croydon Magistrates Court on Friday (5 May).