Reports claim that victim was arrested woman's French au pair

Police have charged a man and a woman with murder after the charred remains of a body were found in a garden in Southfields this Wednesday (20 September).

40-year-old Ouissem Medouni, aged 40 and Sabrina Kouider, aged 34, live at Pulborough Road, SW18 which adjoins Wimbledon Park Road where the body was discovered. Police arrested them at the scene on suspicion of trying to dispose of the body by burning it.

Sabrina Kouider. Picture: Facebook

The body was too badly burned to establish the gender and age at the scene and the police have yet to confirm the victim’s identity but it has been reported elsewhere that the body is of Sophie Lionnet, a French national who had been working as an au pair. She had been looking after Ms Kouider’s two young children, one of whom is reported to be a son that she had with former boyfriend Mark Walton who was once a member of the Irish boyband Boyzone.

Neighbours had reported noticing foul smelling smoke from the property. According to the Mail Online the authorities were alerted after an 8-year-old boy looked over the fence and raised the alarm.

Ms Kouider works in Battersea as a stylist, make-up artist, fashion designer and songwriter. She will appear in custody at Wimbledon Magistrates' Court on Friday, 22 September along with Mr Medouni.

The Met's Homicide and Major Crime Command (HMCC) are leading the investigation.

DI Richard Leonard from the HMCC said: "A badly burned body has been found in the rear garden of this residential address. We are doing everything we can to identify the deceased. A post-mortem examination will establish how they died. Early indications are that attempts were made to dispose of the body.

"I would like to appeal to those in and around the area to come forward with information. You may well have seen or heard something suspicious in the last few days which could assist our investigators."

Anyone with information that may assist police should call the incident room on 020 8721 4843 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

You can also tweet information to police direct via @MetCC.

September 22, 2017