Grandad (69) knifed to death yards from London home after visit to pub

A GRANDFATHER-of-four was stabbed to death in a quiet London suburb after visiting his local pub for a pint on Saturday evening.

Keen jazz musician Allan Isichei (69), the director of a building company, was attacked after leaving the Plough Inn pub in Southall, west London, where he regularly performs music.

Mr Isichei, who has three children with his wife Sandra, was walking to his home in St Mary’s Avenue South, just a few hundred yards away, when he was knifed twice.

He stumbled to a neighbour’s front door at about 6.39pm and asked them to call an ambulance, but died just over an hour later despite treatment from paramedics.

Detectives have arrested a man in his 30s on suspicion of murder and he was held in hospital overnight with minor injuries, Scotland Yard said.

Neighbour Raj Grover (41) said his son Kevneet (15) answered the door after Mr Isichei knocked and begged for an ambulance while calling out for his wife.

“I realised it was somebody who had been injured,” said Kevneet, whose 11-yearold sister also saw the injuries. “He straight away started saying: ‘Call an ambulance’. I said, ‘Okay, what’s happened?’ because I didn’t recognise him, I got scared.

“He said: ‘Call an ambulance’. And then he collapsed. I called my dad.

“The ambulance let us down. When we called, they started asking so many questions. So many people were calling the ambulance, the police.

“The ambulance were asking so many questions, they took quite a few minutes, but then his face started to go white and his lips as well.”

Mr Grover said after they arrived the paramedics also asked Mr Isichei to stand up and get onto a stretcher despite his wounds.

London Ambulance Service said it arrived within six minutes and added it would investigate claims about how the situation was handled.

It is understood the attack was not linked to anything inside the pub and Mr Isichei had left “peacefully”.

A friend said: “He just walked home as normal and something happened before he got home.

“He would come in about once a week, he played in the band and used to pop in for a chat, he never had more than one pint. He was a lovely fellow, really mild-mannered, a lovely man.”

Mr Isichei was the managing director of Broadway Construction, a family business he set up in 1974, according to his LinkedIn profile.

He has been married for more than 40 years and has also worked as a part-time coach for Wasps Rugby Club in Coventry, it said.

“Besides work I now play saxophone with an R & B Band and Jazz Ensemble,” the profile added.

Detectives remained at the scene on Sunday afternoon, including forensics teams in specialist uniforms.

Fears: Shane Richie