Blessing Olusegun: Petition seeks ‘justice’ for woman found dead as police reject racism claims
Sussex Police ‘strongly refute’ claims that Ms Olusegun’s death was not properly investigated because of her ethnicity
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An online petition calling for ‘justice’ for a missing business student who went missing and was found dead last year has amassed more than 40,000 signatures.
Blessing Olusegun, aged 21, was found dead on Bexhill beach in East Sussex, where she was undertaking a work placement as a carer.
A post-mortem on 13 March conceded that Ms Olusegun had drowned. Her death was not being treated as suspicious and was deemed “unexplained” by Sussex Police.
However, in light of the recent death of 33-year-old Sarah Everard, campaigners have suggested that Sussex Police did not go far enough in their investigation into Ms Olusegun’s death, with racism and the discrimination of people of African heritage in public services cited as playing a part.
The petition, which has been signed more than 40,600 times at the time of writing, reads: “[Blessing’s] mother, Esther Abe, is demanding to know why her beautiful daughter died on September 18th. We need justice for Blessing and her family. What actually happened?”
Another petition called Justice4Blessing, which has more than 8000 signatures, says: “Months later we still have no answers from Sussex Police about what happened to her.”
Sussex Police issued a statement this week which said: “At 6.20am on Friday, 18 September the body of a woman was found lying on the beach at Bexhill near Galley Hill. The body was identified that morning as that of Blessing and her next of kin, her mother, was visited and informed by Metropolitan Police officers later the same day.
“Sussex Police detectives attended and, with no immediate evidence of a crime, the Coroner was notified and a police investigation launched. The investigation remains ongoing and, to date, police have carried out detailed enquiries to explore the circumstances leading to Blessing’s death.”
Sussex Police confirmed they had searched the area around where Ms Olusegun’s body was found, where they found her phone and slippers “piled neatly.”
Police also searched Ms Olusegun’s room at her work placement and conducted forensic tests on her belongings found on the beach. A review of her phone records is still ongoing, police say.
Sussex Police also said a review of CCTV from the local area showed Ms Olusegun walking to and entering the beach alone at around 1.30am.
“She was alone and no evidence of others being in the vicinity,” the statement read.
Senior Investigating Officer Detective Inspector Pippa Nicklin said she “strongly refute[s]” claims that Ms Olusegun’s death was not properly investigated because of her ethnicity.
She said: “Although there continues to be no evidence of a crime we are still carefully and fully examining all the circumstances leading up to Blessing’s death, from her arrival in Bexhill, to her leaving the house where she was working and walking to the beach.”