Colchester murder: a joint statement from Chief Constable Kavanagh and PCC Alston

The murder of Nahid Almanea in Colchester on June 17 is a sad and distressing crime.  Essex Police will continue unrelentingly to pursue all lines of investigation to bring her killer to justice.

There has been some commentary on social media and in newspaper and website headlines suggesting that Nahid Almanea was killed because of her religion.  This is simply not known at this stage, and jumping to conclusions is deeply unhelpful, wrong and dangerous.

Very sadly, we have now had two murders in recent months in Colchester.  James Attfield, a young vulnerable white man, was killed on March 29.  Nahid Almanea, a young Muslim woman, was murdered two days ago.

We would urge everyone to work with Essex Police, who will, supported by local communities, do everything possible to find the person or people responsible for both these awful crimes.

I know that everyone in Colchester will come together, and remain strong and united in ensuring that the town and the district continues to be safe and welcoming to all.

Anyone with any information that could assist the enquiry is asked to contact the Major Investigation Team on 01245 282103, Essex Police on 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Stephen Kavanagh, Chief Constable of Essex Police

Nick Alston, Police and Crime Commissioner for Essex