Anger grows over birthday tributes to dead burglar
TENSIONS rose yesterday after relatives of career criminal Henry Vincent again left floral tributes near the house where he was killed.
And a vigilante who says he has had death threats after ripping down tributes to Vincent claims he has recruited 25 ex-military personnel to “eliminate” the supporters.
Iain Gordon has vowed to “cause as much disruption as possible” at Vincent’s funeral.
Yesterday about 20 women from the traveller community, carrying placards, balloons and flowers, gathered close to the scene to mark what would have been Vincent’s 38th birthday. They were flanked by youths, many with covered faces.
The women and youths clashed with officers and angry locals in the south London neighbourhood of Hither Green as residents demanded they “go away”.
Arrested
One woman, who identified herself as Vincent’s aunt, said the group would never return after police ordered them to move on.
Vincent was killed after breaking into 78-year-old Richard Osborn-Brooks’s home.
He was arrested on suspicion of murder after the incident on April 4 but was later told he would face no further action.
Since the incident, Vincent’s friends and family have sparked outrage by laying flowers and cards opposite Mr Osborn-Brooks and his wife Maureen’s home.
The tributes have repeatedly been torn down by neighbours and well-wishers angry that the career criminal is being remembered in such a way, but they have appeared again within days.
Vincent’s mourners yesterday accused police of racism before leaving tributes on a lamppost and wall 200 yards from the house.
One woman said: “Why are you being racist? What are you people picking on us for?”
Vincent’s aunt said: “We won’t be back, but I will say that it’s a thing against gypsies.”
One local, an elderly man came out of his house and said: “Go away! Go away! Go away!”
A 37-year-old woman, who didn’t want to be named, said: “We’re here because it’s his birthday, we just want to lay flowers. We don’t want to cause any violence.”
She added: “We’re not all criminals. We don’t all do wrong.”
The group refused to respond to claims Vincent would be honoured with a £100,000 funeral, or that the cortege would pass by Mr Osborn-Brooks’s home. The travellers eventually left the street in a fleet of cars.
Mr and Mrs OsbornBrooks are understood to be in a safe house and planning to sell their property.