Man and woman killed in Maida Vale had been in a relationship, police say

A woman and a man who died yesterday in Maida Vale have been named by police.

The woman has been named as Yasmin Chkaifi, 43, from Maida Vale and the man has been named as Leon McCaskre, 41, also from Maida Vale.

Police have also confirmed that they knew each other and had previously been in a relationship.

Ms Chkaifi was stabbed in Chippenham Road, in Maida Vale, just after 9am.

When officers arrived to reports of the stabbing, they also found Mr McCaskre, 41, had been hit by a vehicle. Both died at the scene.

Detective Chief Inspector Neil Rawlinson, of the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, said that members of the public had tried to intervene to stop the attack and praised their courageous actions.

A 26-year-old man who was driving the car was arrested on suspicion of murder.

Police said that he was fully cooperative with the investigation and has been bailed to return to a police station on a date in late February while the evidence is evaluated.

The next of kin of both Ms Chkaifi and Mr McCaskre have been informed and post-mortems will take place on January 25 and 27.

DCI Rawlinson said: “We are gaining a clearer idea of what happened at the scene thanks to information supplied by the public and by reviewing CCTV.

“We are speaking to the families of those concerned and doing all we can to support them at this terrible time.

“We can now confirm that both the deceased were previously known to each other and there are no outstanding suspects.

“A man, who was the driver of a car, has been arrested and bailed for a very serious offence and we must carry out a full investigation, looking at all the circumstances.

“Lastly, we appreciate the support we have received from the public.

“A number of people have already come forward, but we are still asking for anyone who has not to make contact with us.

“Any information could be vital in helping us fully understand why this dreadful incident happened.”

Any witnesses or anyone with any information is asked to call police on 101 or contact via Twitter @MetCC, quoting reference CAD 1496/24JAN.

To give information anonymously contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.