Brent stabbing: Seven-months pregnant mother-of-two Andra Hilitanu stabbed to death at home

Victim: Romanian national Andra Hilitanu moved to London three years ago for work
Dave Speck5 June 2018
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A mother who was stabbed to death at home was seven months pregnant with her third child, her grieving family have revealed.

Andra Hilitanu, 28, was found with knife wounds at a flat in Neasden Lane, Brent, just after 2.30am on Friday. She died at the scene. A post-mortem examination gave a provisional cause of death as a stab wound to the neck.

The Romanian national’s family have now revealed that her unborn child had also died.

A 43-year-old man appeared yesterday at Willesden magistrates’ court charged with murder. Ioan Campeanu, of Neasden Lane, was remanded in custody and is due to appear at the Old Bailey tomorrow.

Ms Hilitanu moved to London three years ago to work as a hotel cleaner in Edmonton Green, her family said. Her son Angel, eight, lives in Italy with his father, and daughter Ariana, six, lives in Romania with her grandmother.

Ms Hilitanu’s siblings told the Standard that they too had become orphans as young children.

Ramona Hilitanu, her older sister, said she had first heard the news of the killing on Facebook. “I found out from an acquaintance who sent me a link with information about what happened at Neasden, but I didn’t know anything for sure,” she told the Standard. “The next day we were contacted by the Romanian authorities.

“We are a modest family of four siblings who became orphans ourselves when we were young and we were raised by our grandmother who later suffered brain cancer.”

Ms Hilitanu’s brother Dumitru told the Standard: “The death of my sister and the baby in her womb has left two innocent little children and her brother and sisters who struggle to live with the thoughts.”

Camelia Hilitanu, Ms Hilitanu’s sister-in-law, said: “She was a big soul. She was a woman who helped you if you were in need. She came to England for a better job. It was her dream to have her children beside her.” A neighbour of Ms Hilitanu said: “She was happy-go-lucky, always smiling. It’s such a shame. Two people died here, not just one.”

Detectives said Campeanu was known to the victim and they are not looking for anyone else in connection with the killing.

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