Police are appealing for the public’s help to find two teenage girls from Morocco who have been reported missing.

Douae (14) and Houda (15) were last seen leaving the hostel they were staying at in Tavistock Place, WC1, at around 8.30pm on Tuesday, January 28.

Both girls had arrived in London on Saturday, January 25, for a week-long stay as part of a student exchange programme run by an independent company. They were due to return to Morocco on February 1.

The programme the girls are on is not attached to a specific school and is run by a private company.

Detective chief inspector Sarb Kaur said: “We are appealing for any information about Douae and Houda’s whereabouts. They have travelled from Morocco and are in a city and country that is not familiar to them, so the longer they remain missing then the greater our concern for their welfare is.

“A team of detectives is working tirelessly to locate them and we are liaising with the Moroccan embassy and the company who organised the visit to ensure their families in Morocco are kept updated with any developments.”

Anyone with information that could assist police is asked to call 101 or ‘X’ @MetCC and quote ref 01/7101825/25. For an immediate sighting of Douae and Houda, call 999 immediately.

A man and a woman have been jailed for murdering 38-year-old Sarah Mayhew (pictured) and preventing her lawful burial.

Steve Sansom (45) and Gemma Watts (49) dismembered Sarah’s body and dumped it over several trips, in plain sight of the public.

Sansom of Burnell Road, Sutton, and Watts of Holmbury Grove, Croydon, were sentenced to life imprisonment at the Old Bailey on Thursday. Sansom will serve a whole life order and Watts will serve a minimum of 30 years’ imprisonment. At an earlier hearing they both pleaded guilty to murder and preventing a lawful burial.

The pair were also sentenced to five years each for perverting the course of public justice, to run concurrently.

Detective chief inspector Martin Thorpe, who led the investigation, said: “I would like to send my deepest condolences to Sarah’s family and friends. A loss is always hard, but to hear about the way Sarah spent her last moments must be heart-breaking. I commend their bravery and strength throughout this investigation; we will continue to support them should they need us.

“Secondly, I would like to commend my colleagues from across the Met. The dedication shown to this investigation, which has been complex and challenging, has been extraordinary, they worked around the clock to pull together the evidence needed to bring this case to court.

“The investigation included viewing hundreds of hours of CCTV, extensive forensic examinations within the defendants’ houses, the searching of fields and rivers, witness accounts, and reviewing the defendants’ phones. These revealed messages detailing what the defendants planned to do to Sarah, with texts and voice notes recorded by the defendants themselves, also revealing their intention to carry out violent attacks on others.

“Sarah was a young woman who had the rest of her life ahead of her, before it was selfishly taken by Sansom and Watts for their own sadistic motive.

“Their sick and twisted desires were heard in court by her family. They listened to traumatising evidence which revealed that the two enjoyed the pain and torment that they put Sarah through.” No sentence can ever bring Sarah back or compensate for her loss.”

An investigation was launched following a call to police shortly after 9am on April 2, 2024, to reports of human remains found in Rowdown Fields in Croydon.

A forensic examination revealed the remains to be of Sarah Mayhew, who was living in Croydon at the time of her death.

Shortly after the first discovery, remains were also found in Mitcham in May 2024. A further examination revealed that the remains also belonged to Sarah.

The investigation revealed messages on Sansom’s phone which showed a conversation that suggested the pair wanted to murder Sarah. The conversation revealed that Sansom was going to invite Sarah over to his house to which Watts replied “only if it’s a deal she ain’t leaving in one piece” to which Sansom added “okay”.

Further messages sent indicated a sexual and sadistic motivation.

Sarah was last seen on CCTV entering a property in Sutton on March 8, 2024 accompanied by Sansom and his dog. It is believed that Sarah was murdered on this day.

Messages were found from the same date sent by Sansom who was trying to justify what they had done. The message to Watts said “we’re not evil, we’re not evil”.

Two days later, Sansom was captured on CCTV in a retail shop purchasing a hacksaw, blades and a bucket.

The pair then began their attempt to clean-up the crime scene and conceal their involvement in the murder. Watts was seen on CCTV in a retail shop buying multiple cleaning products such as bleach and scourers, a receipt was later recovered for these following a search of her property.

Further intelligence found that as well as the cleaning products, a silver incinerator bin was purchased to burn Sarah’s personal belongings, which were never recovered.

Officers discovered that Sansom and Watts travelled to and from Rowdown Fields using public transport on March 11, 2024 while carrying oversized shopping bags, which they appeared to have struggled to carry.

In April, parts of Sarah’s body were found in the same location.

It was also found that the pair travelled to the River Wandle with a suitcase. CCTV showed them returning from their journey with no suitcase. Sarah’s torso was then found in May in the same location.

Following the discovery of Sarah’s remains in April, Sansom was arrested at his home address on 6 April 2024 and Watts was arrested later on the same day.

A search of Sansom’s house found traces of blood in the same black bucket he had earlier purchased.

A forensic detection dog also indicated areas of interest, one being the bottom of a wall in Sansom’s bedroom – testing revealed extensive amounts of blood.

They were charged on April 9, 2024 and sentenced yesterday.

Consultancy firm AESG has made a trio of senior appointments, marking a significant step in its mission to make a strong impact in the UK built environment sector.

Elisabeth Montgomerie (pictured) has joined the business as sustainability director, tasked with creating impactful strategies that achieve transformational sustainable outcomes. An expert in decarbonisation, biodiversity and social value, Elisabeth’s most recent role was with a global multidisciplinary consultancy where she was sustainability lead and associate director for sustainable building design.

During her time there, she led the upskilling of more than 1,200 team members in sustainability practices and developed and executed sustainability strategies for landmark building projects in the UK, Middle East and Africa.  

Amy Koerbel is AESG’s new director of façades. With more than 25 years of experience in architectural engineering, technical design and strategic leadership, Amy will spearhead AESG’s façade consulting services in the UK and beyond, with a particular focus on forward-thinking sustainable solutions for retrofits and new build construction projects.

Her previous roles, including Head of Façades and Architecture + Design Practice Director at AECOM, demonstrate her strong track record in leading technical and multidisciplinary teams in delivering award-winning projects. Her knowledge and skills will enhance AESG’s capabilities in tackling complex façade projects while contributing to the firm’s growth in the key markets.

Sandra Rubiano joins Amy in the AESG Façades team as associate director of façades. With experience at engineering agency Clarkebond and as senior façade engineer for CBRE, Sandra brings invaluable expertise to enhance AESG’s integrated services for our clients in the UK façade remediation market. Alongside this she will lead the development of cutting-edge façade engineering solutions, overseeing the successful delivery of AESG’s façade projects to best practice standards, inspiring innovation from within the team, and expanding the business’ market presence in the UK.

Committed to delivering projects that are equally visually striking, safe and environmentally responsible, AESG is made up of a high calibre leadership team and numerous dedicated specialist consultancy teams. Together, they work across the world on projects in the building, urban planning, infrastructure and strategic advisory sectors. The business provides expertise in sustainable design and engineering for mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire safety solutions, as well as specialist façades, security, acoustics, and waste management services.  

Saeed Al Abbar, CEO at AESG, said: “In line with the UK government’s commitment to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, we have made a conscious decision to scale up and enhance our existing provision of sustainability consultancy and building design and engineering expertise in the UK to support existing and future clients better. 

“Adding these three remarkable individuals to our team demonstrates the level of conviction behind that choice as they will add an immeasurable amount of gravitas to our offering. 

“Our mission at AESG is to pair technical knowledge with practical experience to deliver best-in-class consultancy and solutions to our prestigious clients and make a tangible difference to their sustainability strategies. Collectively, Elisabeth, Amy and Sandra bring a new level of excellence to our business, and their passion to continue driving change in the industry makes them an ideal fit for AESG. 

“Their appointments also demonstrate our steps to champion diversity and inclusion in the industry as we believe different ideas, experiences, and viewpoints are integral to success. We recognise the true value that women bring to leadership roles in organisations like ours and feel incredibly lucky that a trio with such extraordinary talents are part of our team.

“I wish Elisabeth, Amy and Sandra the best of luck in their new roles and look forward to working closely with them.”

Detectives investigating a rape in Westminster have released an E-FIT image of a man they are working to identify.

A woman reported walking alone along Bradiston Road, W9, when a car, believed to be a dark coloured Audi A3, stopped at the junction ahead of her.

An unknown man pushed the woman from behind into the vehicle, then drove away with her inside before raping her.

After the assault the woman was pushed back out of the vehicle not far from where she’d been picked up.

The incident happened at 9pm one evening in March 2022. The incident was reported in June 2022, and the victim has been reporter ever since.

Detectives have released an e-fit of the man they urgently need to trace.

He was described as speaking with a Jamaican accent and believed to be in his late 30s, tall with short dreadlocks, and a significant facial scar.

Detective constable, Leon Riley said: “If you recognise the man in the image please contact us without delay.

“We have been carrying out extensive enquiries since the incident and we continue to support the victim who, as far as possible, has been trying to live her life as normal since it happened.

“It was a horrifying ordeal for her and we thank her for supporting the investigation to trace the man responsible for assaulting her, and now helping us build an e-fit of the suspect.

“Women should be able to walk alone without fear and we are dedicated to protecting women and girls from predatory offenders such as this.

“Anyone who recognises the man, or has information, please contact police on 101 quoting 6533840/22.

“Or, to remain completely anonymous call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit crimestoppers-uk.org.”

Axel Rudakubana (18) has been sentenced to life behind bars, with a minimum term of 52 years, after pleading guilty to murdering three girls.

The twisted teenager, formerly of Old School Close, Banks, pleaded guilty on Monday, which should have been day one of his trial.

Alice da Silva Aguiar (nine), Bebe King (six) and Elsie Dot Stancombe (seven) were murdered in the attack on a Taylor Swift-themed club in Hart Street, Southport.

Rudakubana also admitted 10 counts of attempted murder and possession of a kitchen knife over the attack on July 29.

But throughout his sentencing, he kept shouting out that  he “felt ill” and “needed to see a paramedic”. He was removed from the dock at Liverpool Crown Court twice, and medics deemed him well.

The judge, Mr Justice Goose, said if Rudakubana had been 18 at the time of the attack he would have received a whole-life term – meaning no possibility of release.

Extreme violence

He told the court: “There were 26 children at the party, all of them happy and enjoying themselves. He targeted those children for the horrific, extreme violence he was intent upon. It was such extreme violence of the utmost seriousness it was difficult to comprehend.

“I’m sure Rudakubana had a settled and determined intention to kill and would have killed all 26 children.

“Many who have heard the evidence and have seen the CCTV recordings might describe what he did as evil. Who could dispute it? On any view it was at least the most extreme, shocking and exceptionally serious crime.

“The harm that Axel Rudakubana caused to each family, each child and to the community has been profound and permanent. The families of Bebe, Elsie and Alice will never recover. The lives of the families of the children who he tried to murder will never be the same.”

The killer even told police after his attack, that he was glad they were dead.

Judge Goose said the killer would be 70 before a parole board would consider releasing him, adding it was “highly likely” he would never be freed.

On the morning of his attack, Rudakubana booked a taxi to the Hart Space where 26 children were attending a Taylor Swift themed yoga and dance workshop.

He was carrying a knife bought on Amazon days earlier and after leaving the taxi without paying, he entered the building and carried out the appalling attack.

A thorough investigation at the home of Rudakubana led to the discovery of weapons, the ingredients necessary to make ricin and evidence that he had searched and viewed violent material online from a number of sources as well as downloading an academic study of an Al-Qaeda training manual.

Family statements

The family of Alice De Silva Aguiar said: “Alice was always a very kind girl, who valued equality and fairness at the core. Alice was a beautiful girl, perfect in every way; loved her school, her friends, music, dance, colourful pens and friendship bracelets. She loved Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish and Sabrina Carpenter.

“Our dream girl has been taken away in such a horrible, undeserving way that it shattered our souls. Living without Alice is not living at all. It’s a state of permanent numbness. We can’t see her pictures or videos; they take us back to a time when we were so happy and now we’re in constant pain.”

The family of Elsie Dot Stancombe addressed Rudakubana directly in a statement: “The nature of your actions is beyond contempt. You deliberately chose that place, fully aware that there would be no parents present, fully aware that those girls were vulnerable and unable to protect themselves.

“This was not an act of impulse; it was premeditated. You chose that place, that time, and those circumstances, knowing that when we arrived, all we would see was the aftermath of the devastation caused. We were robbed of the opportunity to protect our girls.

“Though you have stolen our daughter from us, you will not take away our determination to honour her memory. We will carry her love, positivity and her legacy forward, no matter how much pain you have caused.

“There is nothing that can undo the damage he has caused, but knowing that he will never be free to cause any harm to vulnerable children again, would give us some small measure of justice.

“Perhaps he will have opportunity to contemplate the fear and terror he inflicted upon those girls and sincerely want the consequences to reflect the irreparable damage he has inflicted.”