THE husband of the woman killed at a christening party has spoken of his shock and grief.

Alie Badara Kargbo, who lives in Dartford, said he and his wife Zainab Kalokoh had escaped war-torn Sierra Leone only to suffer this tragedy.

Mr Kargbo, a 45-year-old teaching assistant, told reporters: “Zainab thought she would now be free from danger and violence. She came here for a better life, but now she is dead.

"I hope they catch whoever is responsible for this terrible crime. They must be punished.”

Mrs Kalokoh, 33, was shot as she cradled a baby at the function in Peckham, South London, last Saturday night. The child was unhurt.

The couple, who have a son, Idris, nine, fled the civil war in their country in 1994. They separated two years ago and Mrs Kalokoh lived alone in East London.

Mrs Kalokoh’s uncle Alim Mackie, who lives in Sidcup, has visited Mr Kargbo to comfort him and Idris. He said: “She was a warm, loving and caring woman."

* A 14-year-old from Peckham and a 16-year-old youth from New Cross have been charged with murdering Mrs Kalokoh.