A SUSSEX man has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of a female teacher found dead in a London Park.

Sabina Nessa, 28, left her home last Friday evening to make a short walk through a local park.

She was due to meet a friend at a bar but she never arrived and her body was found in the park the following day.

Today, the Metropolitan Police announced detectives investigating the murder of Sabina Nessa in Kidbrooke have made an arrest.

A 38-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder at about 3am this morning at an address in East Sussex. He has been taken into police custody.

Detective Chief Inspector Neil John, from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, said: “Sabina’s family have been informed of this significant development and they continue to be supported by specialist officers.”

Ms Nessa’s uncle Shahin Miah described his niece as “a kind and a open-minded person”, who was “always smiling and helping others”.

He said Ms Nessa’s death has “once again brought to the fore the question of women’s safety on the streets”.

In his statement, he said: “We don’t want what happened to Sabina to happen to anyone else.

“We don’t want any other mother’s chest to be empty or filled with deep sorrow, or to see the tears in the eyes of any father.”

The Duchess of Cambridge also described how she was “saddened by the loss of another innocent young woman on our streets” on Twitter.

OneSpace community centre, which is close to where a dog walker discovered Ms Nessa’s body on Friday, invited members of the community to write tributes to her in a book of condolence as it re-opened on Saturday.

The building had been cordoned off by police as they searched the surrounding Cator Park where officers believe Ms Nessa was attacked, and it remained closed until the weekend as a “mark of respect”, the owners said.

Ms Nessa had been walking to meet a friend at a pub near her home when she was attacked in Cator Park on September 17.

Her body was discovered by a member of the public the next day, having been hidden under a pile of leaves, it was reported.

Two men were separately arrested on suspicion of her murder but were subsequently released under investigation.

Detectives also circulated an image, captured in the same area, of a silver car they believe the man they are searching for had access to and appealed for anyone who recognised either to contact the force immediately.