KATE AND BORIS JOIN NATION IN MOURNING

...but police accused of being heavy handed after dragging women away

- Tony Whitfield and Jon Austin

A SOMBRE Duchess of Cambridge laid flowers as she joined mourners to pay her respects at a shrine set up for murder victim Sarah Everard yesterday.

Kate, 38, mixed with other women and men who had gathered at the Victorian bandstand on Clapham Common, where a sea of flowers and tributes had been left in memory of 33-year-old Sarah.

After placing a bouquet, Kate paused in front of the tributes for a moment’s quiet reflection during her brief private visit.

She also stood next to a sign that read “I am Sarah” – one of many put up as a signal of solidarity at the memorial.

A Palace source said: “The Duchess wanted to pay her respects to Sarah and her family. She remembers what it felt like to walk around London at night before she got married.”

Last night, a candle was lit on the doorstep of No10 Downing Street while Boris Johnson and partner Carrie Symonds lit another in the garden for their tribute.

Writing on Twitter, the Prime Minister said: “Tonight Carrie and I will be lighting a candle for Sarah Everard and thinking of her family and friends. I cannot imagine how unbearable their pain and grief is.

“We must work fast to find all the answers to this horrifying crime. I will do everything I can to make sure the streets are safe and ensure women and girls do not face harassment or abuse.”

Sarah disappeared on March 3 after leaving a friend’s home in Clapham, south London, to walk home to Brixton. She vanished shortly after 9.30 pm. Her body was found in woodland in Ashford, Kent, on Wednesday.