SHRINE OUTRAGE DAY 2
First, police stood by and did nothing. Yesterday, they told locals to respect family tributes to stab bed burglar outside OAP’ s home. What on earth’ s going on?
POLICE last night infuriated residents by asking them to ‘respect’ a floral shrine to the criminal killed in a botched burglary.
A chief superintendent said those mourning the dead man, Henry Vincent, should not be ‘intimidated’ or feel they were not allowed to respond in a ‘dignified way to a tragic death’.
The remarkable intervention has appalled neighbours whose quiet street has become a ‘war zone’ as the family of the dead criminal descend on the area.
More than 20 bouquets of flowers, as well as cards, soft toys and balloons have been placed on a fence opposite the home of Richard Osborn-Brooks, 78. It was in this house that Vincent, 37, was fatally stabbed when he confronted the terrified pensioner and his disabled wife in the early hours last week.
The tributes to the career criminal have been repeatedly taken down by locals in Hither Green, South-East London, only to be replaced by Vincent’s family.
Yesterday, as they were ripped down for a fourth time, chief superintendent Simon Dobinson said: ‘My officers have a responsibility to provide reassurance to local residents so they can go about their daily lives, while also respecting the wishes of family and friends to mark the loss of a loved one.
‘I do not want anyone to feel intimidated or that they are not being allowed to respond in a dignified way to a tragic death.
‘We would urge members of the public to respect the wishes of those who choose to place flowers and other tributes in the area.’
Last night one of the vigilantes who tore down part of the memorial claimed he was threatened with arrest if he did it again.
The man, known as Mike, said: ‘We’ve been warned that if we do take them down again they will nick us so it’s a bit trickier. There’s a copper standing right next to the fence keeping an eye on the flowers. You’d think the coppers would have better things to do.’
Families living close to Mr Osborn- Brooks’s home have become exasperated by the continued presence of the shrine, which they believe to be in poor taste and deliberately designed to antagonise them.
A 58-year-old resident, who has lived in the road for 18 years, said: ‘The flowers have made things worse. They keep going up then are taken away.
‘Now we are living in a war zone in what has always been a quiet street and it needs to stop. Police have to be the grown-ups and calm things down. It can’t go on.’
One neighbour, who did not give her name for fear of reprisals, said: ‘This is a quiet community and it’s being ruined. The attention is ramping up and its causing vigilocal
‘We feel under threat’
lantes from outside the area to turn up. We feel under threat and it’s putting us all in danger.’
But in an extraordinary intervention Chief Superintendent Simon Dobinson, Lewisham Borough commander, appeared to take the side of the burglar’s family, who are from the travelling community.
He said: ‘I am aware of the concerns that have been raised by residents regarding the floral tributes placed in Hither Green.
‘We would urge members of the public to respect the wishes of those who choose to place flowers and other tributes in the area.
‘We would also request those placing tributes or visiting the area to behave in a responsible manner so as not to disrupt the local community.
‘Officers are not there to safeguard or facilitate the laying of floral tributes. We are liaising with the authority who are considering appropriate management of the floral tributes.
‘A small police presence remains in place in and around South Park Crescent to provide reassurance to the public. There have been no arrests. Officers will assess any potential criminal offences including any allegations that are made to police, which will be dealt with in a fair and appropriate manner on an individual basis.’
Officers said they would need to receive a complaint from the owner of the fence on which the shrine is erected to take action.
Firefighters fitted smoke alarms in Mr Osborn-Brooks’s £500,000 home and door-to-door salesmen took advantage of the chaos by trying to sell burglar alarms to neighbours worried about security.
Vincent, who was armed with a screwdriver, was stabbed as he raided Mr Osborn-Brooks’s home while the pensioner and his wife, who has dementia, were asleep in the property. Mr Osborn-Brooks was initially arrested on suspicion of murder – sparking a political outcry – but two days later was told he would face no further action. That, in turn, angered Vincent’s family, who have branded the pensioner a ‘murderer’.
Mr Osborn-Brooks and his wife have been forced into hiding and may never be able to return to their home amid fears of a vendetta against them.
The latest episode of the drama came at midday yesterday, when Iain Gordon, from nearby Lewisham, ripped down the remaining bouquets from the fence and put them in a rubbish truck.
He said: ‘It’s disgraceful. In this country there should be no rights for criminals.’
A Met spokesman repeated the superintendent’s plea for those mourning the criminal. ‘We do not want anyone to feel intimidated or that they are not being allowed to respond in a dignified way to a tragic death,’ he said.