Police hunt for widow's killer

An 82-year-old woman has been stabbed to death in her north London home in a "motiveless" killing, Scotland Yard said today.

Violetta Vella died from multiple stab wounds, including one to her throat which severed a vital nerve.

The attack happened in an area notorious for its high robbery rate. Detectives are trying to establish whether anything has been stolen from Mrs Vella's flat on the eighth floor of Fyfield House on the councilbuilt Six Acres Estate in Finsbury Park.

Police say Mrs Vella, who suffered from arthritis and walked with the aid of a crutch, had tried to defend herself and suffered slash injuries to her hands and arms. Her daughter, who lives a few floors below her, discovered her body at 5.20pm on Monday. Police believe she was killed that day with a knife, but so far no weapon has been recovered.

Detective Inspector Martin James, of the Met's Serious Crime Group, said: "We need the assistance of the local community. Violetta was well known on the estate and by all accounts she was a dear old lady." Caretaker Steven Whitington, 23, who works part-time on the estate, said: "Everyone here is really shocked. A lot of people knew of her. She had a lovely reputation."

Mrs Vella is understood to have had four children and some grandchildren. Mr James added: "She is from a lovely family who are devastated. The daughter who found her is very traumatised. We are appealing for information about a group of youths seen on the balcony during Monday. They may have vital information."

Police are also appealing for people who may have received bogus callers in the area during the last week, or who may have seen Mrs Vella, or have any information about the murder.

Forensic experts will be at the scene for at least a week. Police say Mrs Vella was very tidy, but a number of drawers were found opened after the attack. The Six Acres Estate is a maze of alleyways close to busy Seven Sisters Road, and residents today said it was plagued by drug addicts and dealers.

One woman said: "Druggies often hang around in the stairways and on the upper floors. My neighbour was mugged by them a couple of months ago. I think this estate is becoming too dangerous. I've applied to the council to be moved. Many residents have asked the council to clean the place up, put locks on stairway doors and generally increase security."

Mrs Vella is the latest of a series of elderly murder victims in London. In April last year Doris Crystall, 87, was battered to death in her home in Leytonstone and 91 year-old Nellie Cuttress died a month after she was attacked in the street.