Peckham Rye: Man, 29, stabbed to death in park

A 29-year-old man has died after being stabbed to death in a park in south-east London.

Police were called at 8:24 pm on Friday (December 30) to reports of a stabbing in Peckham Rye Park and Common, close to the café off Strakers Road.

Despite the efforts of the emergency services, he died at the scene shortly after 9pm.

The man’s next of kin have been informed and will be supported by specialist officers.

A post-mortem examination took place on Saturday (December 31) and found the cause of death to be a haemorrhage and a stab wound to the heart.

A crime scene is in place covering much of the park and enquiries are ongoing.

Organisers of a New Year’s Eve run in the park, which had been due to take place on Saturday morning, said the event had been cancelled.

Peckham Rye Parkrun tweeted: "The park is currently closed and cordoned off to the public and we have been advised to cancel. Our thoughts are with everyone involved."

Det Ch Insp Katherine Goodwin, from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, said: “My thoughts are with the family of the man who has been killed. We will provide them with every possible support.

“The investigation is in its early stages and as yet no arrests have been made. We are pursuing a number of lines of enquiry as we piece together what happened on Friday evening.

“We are keen to hear from anyone who was in or around the park, particularly in the area near the café and playground, at about 20:00hrs.

“We would also like to hear from anyone else with information about this attack. I know it can be daunting to come forward, but the insight you may be able to offer could be crucial in identifying the person or people responsible.”

Any who witnessed the incident, or who has information about what happened, is asked to call 101 with the reference 6165/30DEC.