Officer tried in vain to save stabbed woman

Local MLA Jonathan Craig said he understood the officer was one of the first people to arrive around 6.30pm and made desperate attempts using CPR to try and help the woman as she lay.

Witnesses said she had been stabbed up to 11 times by an attacker who then turned the knife on himself.

Mr Craig said paramedics who arrived at the scene praised the officer for his attempts to help Ksenija Vorosilina who is originally from Latvia.

“This officer used his professional training to try to revive the woman” he said. “He was exceptional. He acted quickly and knew exactly what he was doing.

Residents in the small cul-de-sac off Warren Gardens were left stunned by the incident.

Alan Graham, who has lived in the area for three years, said he got a call from his wife and could not believe that something like that happened close to their home.

“My wife heard the girl screaming and it was really upsetting.” he said. “She rang me at work and when I arrived home there were police everywhere.”

He said that he often saw the couple who lived in the house get in and out of a taxi but had never spoken to them.

“There has never been any bother here,” he said. “It is a quiet area.”

Another neighbour said he was on shift work and was woken by a friend calling to ask him what had happened.

“Everyone around here would say hello to each other and that’s about it” he said. “It’s hard to believe something like this could happen in such a quiet area.”

Another neighbour believed Ms Varosilina had been living and working in Northern Ireland for the past six years as a dress maker.

Mr Craig offered his sympathy to the woman’s family.

And another MLA, Paul Givan, said the whole community was shocked by the incident.

* A 29-year-old man was due in court on Thursday charged with the murder of Ms Vorosilina.

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