Ex-soldier is arrested over stabbing death of his foster mother

A former soldier has been arrested on suspicion of stabbing to death the foster mother who took him in off the streets when he was a teenager.

Stuart Forsyth voluntarily handed himself in at a police station in Cornwall following an appeal for his arrest.

He has been arrested in connection with a knife attack on Miriam Baldock, 60, who had just beaten cancer, and her husband, Maurice, 61, in the bedroom of their home in the Maiden Lane estate, Camden, on Saturday morning.

Mr Baldock is in a serious but stable condition in hospital and the couple's children, grandchildren and foster children are maintaining a vigil by his bedside.

Mrs Baldock, who had fostered dozens of children, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Speaking from his hospital bed today, Mr Baldock said the couple had been preparing to spend time together after years of fostering children.

He said: "Miriam was my world. She had just got over cancer and we were at a time of our lives where we could enjoy life."

The arrested 40-year-old, originally from Blantyre, Lanarkshire, called the couple his parents, even though he had not been formally adopted or fostered by them after he was taken in as a teenager.

Forsyth is believed to have served in the Foreign Legion after leaving the British Army.

He walked into the police station last night, where he remained in custody.

He will be brought back to London to be questioned by Metropolitan Police.

Mrs Baldock had been fighting cancer but had been given the all-clear only weeks before she was stabbed to death.

The couple had been celebrating the news at a barbecue in the communal gardens outside their flat and had gone to bed late.

Despite his injuries in the attack, Mr Baldock, a retired builder, managed to call the emergency services at about 5.30am on Saturday.

Neighbours said they saw a man running away from the scene.

There were no signs of a break-in at the flat. Paramedics were called to the scene and alerted the police after discovering the couple.

Detective Chief Inspector Colin Sutton, who is leading the Met investigation, said: "This case is particularly tragic because it happened totally out of the blue.

"By popular consent they were the nicest family on the estate and everybody there is shocked.

"They have a very large extended family and they have been coming from all over the country to see Maurice in the hospital.

"Maurice had just built an aviary and named all the birds after his grandchildren. Mr Sutton said Forsyth was part of the family.

"He called them mum and dad. He was a quasi foster son."

The children the couple were looking after were not at the flat at the time of the attack.

Family members wept last night as they gathered outside the flat where Mrs Baldock died.

They embraced and wept before being ushered into neighbouring homes.

Neighbours have paid tribute to the couple.

Dot Brunt, 53, said: "I can't believe this could happen to people-as nice as them, it's a real tragedy.

"She was like a 22-carat diamond and they are like towers of the community."

One said: "They were lovely people. Everyone is distraught. This estate is a real community and Miriam was loved by everyone."

Another neighbour added: "No one had a bad word to say about them."

The St Pancras coroner has been informed and a postmortem examination and inquest are expected to be scheduled shortly.