Eight innocent victims of violence in under two years

with the murder in Richmond Park, London has now seen eight apparently random attacks in less than two years months.

Each time they have involved innocent people going about their daily lives - shopping, jogging or just walking home - killed or beaten without warning.

Police appeals, grainy CCTV images of suspects or possible witnesses, reconstructions of last fateful walks and forensic science searches of rivers and woodland seem to have become commonplace.

The grim roll call includes fine art student Margaret Muller, 27, who was on one of her regular jogs through Victoria Park in Hackney when she was stabbed to death by a stranger. Since the killing in February last year, police have taken more than 1,600 witness statements, carried out 1,700 house-to-house enquiries and sent out more than 1,000 questionnaires to local residents.

So far, five people have been arrested in connection with the murder but all have been released without charge.

The day after the attack on Ms Muller, 19-year-old student Marsha McDonnell was beaten to death with a hammer yards from her home in Hampton. A 17-yearold was arrested two months later and has since been detained under the Mental Health Act but police have been unable to link him convincingly to the murder.

A month later, father of six Qamir Mirza, 48, was attacked with a combat knife as he filled up with petrol at a garage in Cricklewood Broadway. The killer had gone into the kiosk to buy some goods before calmly walking over to Mr Mirza and stabbing him at random. He has pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and is awaiting sentencing.

Later the same month Finnish student Suvi Aronen, 23, was violently sexually assaulted and battered to death with a brick near her home in Wanstead. Jobless Jason Dockrill, 34, of Stratford, was found guilty of the random murder and has started a 20-year jail term.

Last month Am鬩e Delagrange, 22, was battered to death in Twickenham after a night out with friends. Also last month, BBC librarian Tom Brown was fatally stabbed 200 yards from his flat in Southgate. His bank cards, cash and mobile phone were still with him.

Police are still trying to solve the murder of 13-year-old Milly Dowler, whose remains were found in a Hampshire wood six months after she went missing from her school in Walton in March 2002.