'He deserves a medal': Neighbours leap to defence of pensioner, 78, as he spends second night in the cells after 'stabbing armed burglar, 38, to death while protecting his wife and home'
- Police called to break-in in south-east London in the early hours of yesterday
- The 78-year-old was 'confronted by two men and forced into his kitchen'
- He is said to have tackled a 'burglar' armed with a screwdriver, who was stabbed
- Richard Osborn-Brooks has been arrested after man, 38, later died in hospital
- Neighbours have expressed their fury saying he deserves a medal for his actions
- Do you anything about the incident? Call MailOnline on 0203 615 2676
Neighbours of a pensioner accused of stabbing a burglar to death have leapt to his defence, saying he should be given a medal - not a murder charge.
The 78-year-old homeowner, Richard Osborn-Brooks, was upstairs asleep with his wife when he was woken by two men breaking into his suburban home in Hither Green, south-east London in the early hours of yesterday.
One, 38, was armed with a screwdriver, but was left with stab wounds to the chest after a struggle ensued inside the house. He later collapsed and died in hospital.
Mr Osborn-Brooks has been arrested on suspicion of murder, but his neighbours have slammed the justice system, claiming he was well within his rights.
His friend Tony Guest, 61, posted on Facebook to say he 'deserves a medal and should be let free'.
Richard Osborn-Brooks (pictured), 78, has been named locally as the homeowner who was arrested for stabbing a burglar who broke into his home in Hither Green, south east London
Richard Osborn-Brooks, pictured here at a clay pigeon shooting range, is the owner of the house in Hither Green in London
He wrote: 'So a 78 year old man gets burgled by 2 men in South East London.
'There is a scuffle and the old man has slight injuries but managed to stab one of the burglars and he shortly died.
'The other burglar is on the run but the 78 year old is arrested for murder. So this is British justice is it? Where is our protection?
'The old man deserves a medal and to be let free.'
Mr Osborn-Brooks was originally arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm, but was held for murder when the man died of his injuries.
The deceased is believed to have escaped with his accomplice, but collapsed in a pool of blood nearby before doctors battled in vain to save him.
The ex-RAC manager's case has been compared to that of Tony Martin, who was jailed for killing an intruder at his home in 1999.
Forensics officers outside Mr Osborn-Brooks's home while he is being held on suspicion of killing the intruder, 38, who broke into his home
Neighbours in Hither Green have leapt to his defence, slamming the justice system and saying he 'deserves a medal' not a murder charge
The ex-RAC manager's case (home pictured after incident) has been compared to that of Tony Martin, who was jailed for killing an intruder at his home in 1999
Neighbourhood Watch member Sylbourne Sydial, who is in his 40s, said the case reminded him of Tony Martin's.
He said: 'A man should be able to defend his home... your home is your castle and I believe your neighbourhood is your kingdom.
'I have got a wife and child and sometimes I'm out of London - we will have to have a serious discussion with the police about if something like this happens.'
Neighbour Nick Myatt, who lives in a house within the police cordon, said of Mr Osborn-Brooks: 'I saw him a few times, he's a lovely old man and he cares for his wife who I think has dementia or is disabled.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE
'He's a nice man, nice to talk to. He's an old man - it's a shame really. I hope the law sees sense and let's him off. I don't think it's right.
'I don't know his name. I just hope he gets off.
'One of the police told me it's definitely him that's been arrested.'
Adam Lake, who lives near the scene, was also keen to defend his neighbour.
He said: 'He doesn't deserve to be punished for defending himself, and the neighbours that I've spoken to all agree that the priority needs to be to support him after everything that he's been through.
'He was just protecting himself after all.'
Neighbour Clem Williams, who has lived on the road for 20 years also questioned the man's arrest, asked: 'Why were the men at his house? The man has a right to defend his home. They should let him go.'
Today former cabinet minister and Tory MP Priti Patel joined the debate.
She told The Daily Telegraph: 'There is a gulf in public confidence in the criminal justice system. This is an issue for everyone to get a grip of.
'This is a man who is clearly a victim of a horrendous crime. We must always put the interests of the victims at the heart of our justice system and not just come out on the side of offenders.'
Police have said the second burglary suspect fled the scene before they arrived, and they are still trying to track him down.
The homeowner suffered bruising to his arms but police said his injuries are not life threatening. He remains in custody at a south London police station.
Officers are currently scouring the man's home for evidence as they question the pensioner
His neighbour Mr Williams, 58, a martial arts instructor, added: 'It's a very quiet road, normally we do not get police incidents down this road.
'There are a lot of older people on this road so I was quite surprised to hear about. I've been here 20 years and most people get on with others round here.'
The incident unfolded shortly before 1am this morning in South Park Crescent, just off the South Circular, where houses sell for around £400,000.
A forensics team enter the home of a 78-year-old man arrested for murder after he fought a 38-year-old who is thought to have broken into his house armed with a screwdriver
Police are investigating after a suspected burglar died from stab wounds in this street in Hither Green, south-east London
Gordon Williams, 44, saw the man on the ground with a stab wound to the chest before another man tried, unsuccessfully, to get him into a white van. The van then drove off before police and paramedics then arrived at the scene.
Mr Williams said: 'He was a white bloke about my age. I had just gone to to bed and I heard moaning and groaning.
'At first I thought he was drunk, but when I looked out of the window, I saw a white Vauxhall Astra van pulled up beside him.
'A black man was saying to the guy on the ground 'come on, get in the van'. He was trying to drag him but it wasn't working.
'The black guy then looked up to my window and saw me looking out, so he ran back into the van and drove off north.
'My wife then heard the clang of metal on the ground and saw him throw something out of the van's window.
'I went downstairs straight away and was the first on the scene.
'The man on the ground was white and was bleeding heavily from his chest through his shirt.'
Neighbours have backed the man, saying he was defending his home from intruders
Gordon said he then went out of the house to the injured man and added: 'I just tried to reassure him. His t-shirt was covered in blood.'
The witness said believed the man's injury was a knife wound.
'People have been talking about a screwdriver but this wasn't a screwdriver wound, this was a knife. The wound was an inch long.
'I think that it was a knife and I think from what my partner said that the black guy pulled it out and threw it away.
'The man on the ground was wearing a blue t-shirt and it was pulled up. I think he was dead already. His pupils were completely dilated.
'There was another young man on the scene quickly and he phoned the police straight away.
'They came within minutes and so did the ambulance.
'The paramedics tried to resuscitate him for 20 minutes, but he was dead I'm sure.'
A forensics tent has been put up outside the house, whose owner is said to have been retired for more than 26 years
The area, which has a number of elderly residents, has been targeted by burglars before
Nick and a friend who was with him at the scene both confirmed a picture of Richard Osborn-Brooks was the man who lives in the address being searched by police.
Other neighbours also said they knew him from photos.
A neighbour who lives several doors away, also within the cordon, described Osborn-Brooks as a 'nice guy'.
The elderly man, who declined to give his name, said: 'He's retired, but a nice guy, keeps himself to himself.
'Goes out shopping once a week and that's about it.
'He's been retired all the time I've been here - about 20 years. Nice as pie that's all I can tell you.'
Another young man who lives in the street said Osborn-Brooks is a familiar face at summer street parties.
The man, who was in his 20s but didn't give his name, said: 'We have street parties, people bring food with them and the whole neighbourhood comes out.
'We definitely recognise him from those, he lives on the street.
'It's normally a safe area. A burglary has happened here before but it's not very often.'
There is a growing police presence at the scene as Scotland Yard's Homicide and Major Crime Command investigate
Forensics experts were scouring the scene this morning as the man remained in custody
A Scotland Yard spokesman said: 'At 00:45hrs on Wednesday, 4 April, police were called by a homeowner to reports of a burglary in progress at an address in South Park Crescent, Hither Green SE6, and a man injured.
'The 78-year-old resident found two males inside the address. A struggle ensued between one of the males and the homeowner. The man, aged 38, sustained a stab wound to the upper body.
'London Ambulance Service took the injured male, who was found collapsed in Further Green Road, SE8, to a central London hospital. He was pronounced dead at 03:37hrs.'
Police were unable to confirm whether the suspect had been stabbed with the screwdriver.
Parts of the street where the break-in was reported, along with neighbouring Further Park Road, have been cordoned off this morning as forensics experts scour the scene.
What is the law on confronting burglars? How homeowners can use 'reasonable force' against intruders
Tony Martin (pictured) killed Fred Barras, 16, and wounded accomplice Brendon Fearon, 29, with his unlicensed shotgun
British law allows homeowners to use 'reasonable force' against intruders to protect themselves or others in their home.
Guidelines introduced in 2005 allow people to protect themselves 'in the heat of the moment' – including using an object as a weapon. They can also stop an intruder running off, for example by tackling them to the ground.
There is no specific definition of 'reasonable force' and it is said to depend on the circumstances.
Government guidance states that if a person 'only did what you honestly thought was necessary at the time, this would provide strong evidence that you acted within the law'.
People do risk prosecution however if they carry on attacking the intruder when they are no longer in danger, or pre-plan a trap for someone rather than involving the police.
One famous case involved Tony Martin, who killed Fred Barras, 16, and wounded accomplice Brendon Fearon, 29, with his unlicensed shotgun after he found them late at night inside his home in August 1999.
He was jailed for life for murder at Norwich Crown Court in April 2000, but later had his sentence reduced to five years for manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
He appealed against his conviction, claiming that his account was not properly put forward at his trial. It was also revealed that he had Asperger's Syndrome.
Fearon, who admitted conspiring to burgle Bleak House, accompanied by Fred Barras, was jailed for three years at Norwich Crown Court in 2000 and was released in August the following year.
Mr Martin's case provoked a national debate about the measures homeowners can take to defend their property.
The farmer, who is known for his eccentric behaviour, was finally released in 2003, but never returned to live in his derelict detached home on his 300-acres of land at Bleak House Farm.
In Hither Green today one neighbour, who asked not to be named, said the homeowner had been retired for many years.
'He's been retired for 26 years. I did some building work on his house a while ago, but I haven't seen him for about three weeks.' said the neighbour.
One man, who lives on the adjoining Further Green Road, said there had been a recent spate of burglaries in the area.
'I was burgled in the last couple of months,' said the retired man, who did not want to be named.
'I was renovating the house and they broke in and took a laptop. I know this has happened to others recently.'
The lower part of a neighbouring road and much of the street where the incident took place have been cordoned off by murder detectives
Police have thrown a wide cordon around the street, South Park Crescent, and the surrounding area as they investigate
Locals say they believe the man who later died may have fled into the street after the incident
A shoe was seen laying in Further Park Road this morning, leading some residents to speculate that the injured man may have run into the neighbouring street before collapsing.
As officers examine the scene in Hither Green, the second burglary suspect is on the run
The break-in and resulting death come at a time where the Met is dealing with a large number of murder probes
Police were seen guarding the street this morning at murder detectives scoured the area
Security guard Ahmed Haili, 32, said he saw people trying to help someone in the street.
He said: 'It was about 12.45am and I saw a white man on the ground and he was being given CPR, trying to save his life.'
An elderly resident of the street told MailOnline: 'I didn't hear anything last night but there were lots of police here when I looked out this morning.'
The Met confirmed the next of kin of the man who died have been informed, though the he has not yet been formally identified. A post-mortem examination will be scheduled.
Scotland Yard confirmed the Met's Homicide and Major Crime Command was investigating.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 quoting CAD214/4Apr. To remain anonymous they can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
The street, in this centre of this aerial image, is just off London's South Circular Road
A large section of the street, which is next to the railway line, has been closed off by police
Residents of the street say it has a number of elderly people living there and many neighbours are friends with each other
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5579989/Neighbours-say-pensioner-stabbed-burglar-death-Hither-Green-London-deserves-medal.html#ixzz5Bq0gxNUo
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for commenting. Your comments are needed for helping to improve the discussion.