Magda gave me hope to live

Five years ago Roy Anderson was told he would never walk again but the compassion and perseverance of Miss Pniewska gave him the hope to live life to the full.

His tribute came as the dead woman's mother today condemned "lawless" Britain, saying the police are "too afraid" to tackle gangs.

Miss Pniewska was killed on Tuesday night in crossfire as two feuding drug gangs exchanged shots in John Williams Close, New Cross.

The 26-year-old was hit in the head as she made the short walk home to the flat she shared with her boyfriend, Radoslaw Lipka. She was taking a shortcut through a park behind Stunell House, a four-minute walk from the care home.

Many of the patients at the Bupa-run Manley Court Nursing Centre, in John Williams Close, are severely disabled or mentally ill.

Mr Anderson, 49, said: "She was the best person I ever met in the nursing home - a wonderful carer. There wasn't one minute of her time wasted when she worked here. She would go out of her way for anyone who needed her.

"I remember being told that I would lose both my legs. Magda became a friend. She would listen if I had problems and would be caring and offer solutions.

"Nothing got on top of her. If one method didn't work, she would try another. She would say: 'We can't do things this way, but let's try it another way', that's the sign of a truly caring person."

So highly-regarded was Miss Pniewska that after a year of working as a care assistant, she was promoted to activities co-ordinator.

Mr Anderson, who used to train disabled people for Hammersmith and Fulham social services, had his legs amputated after accidentally pushing a garden fork through his foot and suffering complications through diabetes. He said: "She gently made me realise how it was up to me to become mobile again."

Miss Pniewska was chatting to her sister, Elzbieta, on her mobile when she was shot. She died in hospital about an hour later.

Speaking from Brzeg in Poland, her mother, Barbara Pniewska, 52, a bank clerk, said: "No mother should have to see her daughter die like this.

"Why could the police not protect her? I do not understand why a country as rich as Britain cannot police its streets properly. It is like the police are afraid of tackling the gangs. They know there is violence, and they know who these gangs are.

"Yet they do nothing and now my daughter has paid with her life for their failure."

Magda's sister, Elzbieta, 34, said: "I heard what sounded like bangs and the phone seemed to go dead. It is tragic. Everyone here in my house is crying."

Ms Pniewska's father, Ryskard, 58, a welder, said he had been planning to visit her in Britain this week. He said: "I can't stop crying. We always thought London was wonderful, it was her dream. We were so glad she was there. I had no idea it was not safe."