Woman ‘beheaded’ in London garden by ‘madman with a machete’

A 25-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman was found beheaded in a back garden in north London, according to reports. The victim was found at an address in Nightingale Road, Edmonton, just after 1pm after police received reports of a stabbing. Eyewitnesses reported seeing a “madman with a machete” on the loose in the area. The Metropolitan Police said the man was detained by firearms officers who used a taser.

We saw a lot of police vans coming in and go to the door. When they got to the door they didn’t want to let them in, so they broke the door down. A man came out and they got him, but he wasn’t letting go and started fighting. They got him down and took him to the police van.

Ricardo Kwiek, a witness who works for a local taxi firm

One officer was injured during the arrest and is believed to have suffered a broken wrist. Ambulance crews and an air ambulance were called but the victim was pronounced dead at the scene. The Metropolitan Police tweeted that they have not yet spoken to the woman’s next of kin. Officers are not looking for any other suspects. DCI John Sandlin, who is leading the investigation, said that “based on the information available”, the attack did not appear to have been terrorist related. Police are yet to confirm the weapon used.

We were shocked to see so many police arrive in one second. That was very weird for us. There was around 40 police cars that came in and blocked the road. I think they handled it pretty good because straight away they closed off everything and told the local people to come out of their houses.

Ricardo Kwiek

Europe beheaded garden