Daughter of vicar 'pushed to her death by girl gang'

Two teenage girls, aged 13 and 17, have been arrested after 19-year-old Rosimeiri Boxall was found lying beneath an open window of a house which is divided into flats for the homeless.

Detectives are trying to establish if the teenager was pushed or jumped in a bid to escape. They are understood to be examining the possibility she was being held against her will by a number of girls before she fell to her death.

Neighbours said a "very loud and extreme" argument had broken out before Miss Boxall fell from the flats in Blackheath, near Greenwich Park.

Miss Boxall, whose father the Rev Simon Boxall is vicar at the Open Gateway Community Church in Thamesmead, was taken to Queen Elizabeth hospital but died of internal injuries.

A neighbour of the house in Coleraine Road said a number of people had been shouting at around 6.30pm. He said: "It was very loud, a real racket, and sounded very extreme, so I thought I should call the police. I heard a bloke shouting outside, incredibly loudly. He was saying something like, 'Don't touch her, leave her alone'. It sounded like two blokes and a girl all shouting at each other. I thought one bloke was standing up for the girl. Then there was an almighty crashing sound, like metal on concrete.

"The argument carried on for five to 10 minutes until the ambulance arrived. There were 30-odd cops in the street after that so I knew it must have been serious."

Kelly Keagan, who lives opposite, saw Miss Boxall being treated by paramedics. She said: "She was on the floor out the front and they were trying to resuscitate her. They were pumping for about 20 minutes and I saw the two girls in the van.

"It was horrific. You could see blood on the paving and there were people from the house standing around with their mouths open."

The family were today set to issue a statement. Mr Boxall, 53, said last night: "It's very difficult to make any lucid comments. We are waiting on the police to know how she died."

Detective Inspector Bob Meade said the death was being treated as suspicious and added: "Her family are distraught. I understand there were people outside shortly before this took place and I would encourage them and anyone else who was in the area at the time to provide any information they can."