The areas of London with the highest rates of unsolved killings can today be revealed in a new interactive map.
Figures from the Metropolitan Police dating back to 2003 show there are currently 366 cold homicide cases in the capital.
And despite the overall rate of murders falling year-on-year across the UK, London is consistently ranked among the areas of the UK with the highest number of killings.
One of the chilling unsolved cases in this period includes the alleged murder of Norwegian socialite Martine Vik Magnussen in March 2008.
The 23-year-old was killed in central London after spending the night out with friends – with the main suspect in the case having fled the UK soon after.
Meanwhile, the killer of Soho clip joint worker Camille Gordon in March 2004 also remains at large.
The 23-year-old, who had been training to become a nursery assistant, was stabbed in the heart following a row with a customer at her workplace in central London.
In total, there have been 3,070 homicides in the capital since 2003, according to the Metropolitan Police.
One of the chilling unsolved cases in this period includes the alleged murder of Norwegian socialite Martine Vik Magnussen (pictured) in March 2008
CCTV footage shows Ms Vik Magnussen and billionaire playboy Farouk Abdulhak leaving a nightclub
Whilst in 2,704 cases the perpetrators have been caught, in hundreds of others officers are still no closer to catching the cold-blooded killers.
This is often despite investigations spanning across several years and renewed appeals.
However, data shows that when it comes to unsolved homicides across the capital, some boroughs have far more compared to others.
Lambeth has the highest rate of unsolved killings since 2003 – with 34 homicide cases going unsolved.
The borough has a population of 316,920 – making the rate 10.7 per every 100,000 residents.
Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea have the second and third highest rates of unsolved murders – with 9 and 8.3 per 100,000 people.
Meanwhile, the leafy boroughs of Richmond-upon-Thames and Merton in south-west London have the lowest rates of unsolved murders.
There has just been one homicide case that has been left unsolved in each area since 2003 – putting the rate per 100,000 people at 0.5.
The main suspect in the case is Farouk Abdulhak, the son of a billionaire businessman, who fled the UK to Egypt then Yemen within hours of Miss Vik Magnussen’s death
Camille Gordon, 23, had been training to be a nursery assistant while also working at the Blue Bunny Club in Archer Street, in London’s Soho, when she was killed on March 1, 2004
Scotland Yard previously released newly enhanced images of a customer at the club who they believe could be responsible for Camille Gordon’s murder
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Moreover, the boroughs of Havering in east London and Sutton in the south have also seen just two killings go unsolved.
In total, 319 out of the 366 unsolved murder victims were men, while 47 were women.
However in each case, the families of those killed have been left tormented with no justice for their loved one who was cruelly taken from them.
This has also repeatedly come despite renewed appeals from the police to catch those responsible.
For example, in March 2020 the father of Ms Vik Magnussen called for her suspected murderer to return home to face questioning.
Norwegian socialite, Miss Vik Magnussen was killed in central London after spending the night with friends on March 14, 2008.
The main suspect in the case is Farouk Abdulhak, the son of a billionaire businessman, who fled the UK to Egypt then Yemen within hours of her death.
On 16 March 2008, officers making enquiries to trace her visited the residential block where Abdulhak lived on Great Portland Street in Westminster.
It was here they discovered her body. Attempts had been made to conceal her beneath rubble.
She was last seen with Abdulhak – son of billionaire sugar magnate Shaher Abdulhak – as the pair left the Maddox nightclub in Mayfair in the early hours of March 14.
Sam Guidera (pictured), 24, was walking to meet his girlfriend when he was brutally attacked, not far from Penge East station, and died an hour later at hospital
CCTV footage shows two men running past following the stabbing of a university student
Sam, who was reading history and politics at Greenwich University, was found in the road with a stab wound to the heart
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The chilling unsolved murder of Soho clip joint worker stabbed in the heart after row with punter
The pair studied international business relations at the private Regent’s Business School in Regent’s Park.
By the time 23-year-old Miss Vik Magnussen’s remains were found, Abdulhak had fled to Egypt and on to Yemen.
A post-mortem examination gave her cause of death as compression to the neck. She had also been raped.
Abdulhak remains the only suspect in the death of Miss Vik Magnussen. His lawyer has previously insisted that he is innocent of murder.
Meanwhile, in October 2024 detectives offered a £20,000 reward for information and released enhanced CCTV images of the punter they said could be her killer of Ms Gordon.
Police said she was working on the door of the Blue Bunny Club in Archer Street, central London, on the evening of her death when a man approached her.
He entered the club, paying an admission fee of £5, and went to a private area with Ms Gordon.
When another member of staff presented the male customer with a bill for £375, he was unable to pay the full amount, so he paid £80 and was escorted to the exit.
The customer left the venue and walked along Archer Street towards the junction with Rupert Street before returning to the venue shortly afterwards.
Upon seeing a different member of staff he raised both hands in a submissive manner and went off towards nearby Rupert Street.
At about 7.10pm, Camille returned to the door of the club when a man was seen to enter the doorway before very quickly leaving, walking at pace along Archer Street towards Great Windmill Street.
Camille screamed and staggered down the stairs into the club where she told colleagues she had been stabbed in the chest.
Despite the efforts of the emergency services, she died from her injuries about an hour later at University College Hospital in London.
Max Moy Wheatley, 19, was stabbed to death in Jubilee Park in Bromley in September 2023. His killing is yet to be solved
Moreover in 2017, police released new CCTV in the case of an aspiring teacher who was stabbed to death on the streets of Sydenham, south London, on February 12 2011.
Sam Guidera, 24, was walking to meet his girlfriend when he was brutally attacked, not far from Penge East station, and died an hour later at hospital.
The student, who was reading history and politics at Greenwich University, was found in the road with a stab wound to the heart.
The grainy CCTV clip shows two men running past the scene, shortly after after Mr Guidera was attacked, before returning to the area just 15 minutes later.
The footage was discovered after officers did a full review of all CCTV from the scene.
Detectives had previously said that a mystery telephone number was inputted into Mr Guidera’s phone, moments before he was murdered.
In a separate unsolved case, Max Moy Wheatley, 19, was stabbed to death in Jubilee Park in Bromley in September 2023.
Ten days after the teen’s death two men, aged 18 and 19, were arrested and later charged with murder.
But in March last year the decision was made by the Crown Prosecution Service to discontinue the case against the pair.
Max’s older sister previously said in a statement issued through the Met: ‘A year ago today, my little brother took his last breath after being stabbed in the heart.
‘Max may have been 19 but he was just a kid, a kind boy who would’ve helped anyone if he could. Max loved music and spending time with his family and friends.
‘Max wasn’t a horrible boy, he was young and carefree, he hated confrontation and was often a peacemaker between his friends and he would never hurt anyone as he had a strong sense of right and wrong.
‘Just for a moment I ask you to put yourself in our shoes, we currently have no answers or understanding of why my brother was cruelly and brutally murdered as he walked through a quiet park in Petts Wood.
‘As a family we didn’t get the opportunity to hold his hand or comfort him in his last moments as he never left the park alive. We’d give anything to have been able to hold his hand or see his face one last time.
‘As a family we are stuck in a constant state of despair, knowing that whoever is responsible for Max’s murder has not been brought to justice and knowing that another family could soon be feeling the same mental torture and pain we have been feeling for almost a year.
‘As Max’s older sister I’m asking you to think back to that day, the 20th September 2023 – if there was any information that could help us as a family get justice for my little brother and a small piece of closure for my family please contact the police.’
