And she said: "I feel as though a light has gone out of my life."

Arsema, 15, was stabbed up to 10 times in a frenzied attack on Monday.

The schoolgirl was found in a pool of blood inside a lift by a neighbour at the block of flats where she lived with her family in Waterloo, south London.

Weeping, distraught and barely able to withstand her grief, her mother paid tribute to her daughter.

Leaning heavily on family and friends, Tsehainesh Medhani appeared in front of the family home. Through her lawyer, Ms Medhani said she was "absolutely devastated".

To a background of weeping relatives, the lawyer Daksheenie Abeyewardene read a statement on Ms Medhani's behalf.

She said: "I am absolutely devastated and cannot believe what has happened to my daughter. 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 have lost a precious, beautiful and much-loved daughter who was kind, generous and loving. I hope no other family has to go through the anguish that we are going through. I feel as though a light has gone out of my life."

With that the group of female relatives, who were clinging to each other, went back into the flats.