FAMILY and friends have left flowers at the home of a mother-of-three who was murdered in the early hours of Saturday morning.

One neighbour, who asked not to be named, described how she let police into Anderson Court, Whitefield Avenue just before 5am and watched as they smashed the door to get in to Jacqueline Barrett's flat.

The 34-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene and a post mortem showed she had been bludgeoned with a blunt object and suffocated.

The neighbour said: “I didn't know her that well, but she was a lovely woman, always very friendly and she seemed a good mother as well.

“Our kids are a similar age so in the summer they would play outside together. It's just such a shock. “The first I knew something was wrong the police were ringing my bell and there were all these flashing lights. I don't know who called them.”

Flowers left outside the flat from friends and family showed the shock the murder has caused.

One poignant message from her three children read: “To mummy. RIP. We will always love you.”

Another from Emma said: “My friend, I can't believe that you are gone. Just trying to think of days when it was not so hard. First my mum now my best friend. The worst is there's nothing I can say to bring you back and that's all I want to do.”

A 23-year-old man is set to appear today at the Old Bailey charged with the murder.