The mother of murdered schoolgirl Arsema Dawit has accused the police of failing to protect her daughter.

The 15-year-old was stabbed to death in the lift of a tower block on Monday. Student, Thomas Nugusse, 21, has been charged with her murder.

Mother's statement

Speaking outside the family home in Waterloo, her lawyer read out a statement:

"I came to this country from Eritrea to live in safety. When my daughter was threatened, I went to the police seeking protection. Sadly, this did not happen....I feel as though a light has gone out of my life."

Questions police must answer

Meanwhile the case has been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission. It was alleged the attacker had stalked the girl after meeting her in a church group and later an assault was reported to police. The police claim she said she knew nothing of the incident when questioned, though her English was said to be poor.

Here are some of the questions the IPCC need to answer:

• Why did it take 12 days to interview Arsema after her and her mother went to the police?
• What was done to protect her from her stalker?
• Why was the suspect not spoken to by police in the month she made the harassment complaint?
• How many times did her family complain about harassment?

Officers spoke to the girl at school which may have made her reluctant to speak. The family maintain that the police told them there was nothing they could do about the stalker.