Driven out
Removal men pack up home of OAP who killed burglar and is now too scared to return
THE pensioner who killed an armed burglar has been effectively driven from his home by the raid.
In a clear sign that Richard OsbornBrooks, 78, and his wife Maureen, 76, will not be able to live in their house again, removal men boxed up their belongings yesterday.
Treasured pictures, household appliances and furniture were seen being loaded into a van. Their car – with the number plate removed – was also taken from the garage at their £500,000 home and driven away on the back of a policeissue flatbed lorry.
Close friends said the couple are living in a safe house and have reluctantly accepted that they will have to sell the property.
Mr Osborn-Brooks and his wife had lived in the quiet street in Hither Green, south-east London, for almost 42 years when career criminal Henry Vincent broke into their house with an accomplice two weeks ago.
Vincent, 37, was fatally stabbed after downstairs forcing as Mr his Osborn-Brooks partner ransacked a bedroom.
The couple have been forced into hiding amid fears of reprisals. A close friend said: ‘They are waiting for the dust to settle before putting their house on the market.
‘Richard and Maureen are in a safe house. We do not know where. His phones have been changed and he is under police protection. ‘As far as we know he is OK. As far as I’m concerned he is a hero for what he did.’ The friend described Mr Osborn-Brooks as a ‘nice guy’ who is ‘not a violent person’ and added: ‘He’s got what happened that night on his conscience for the rest of his life now. He’s never going to forget that he’s killed someone.’
Locals yesterday described the arrival of the removal men as a ‘sad day’ for their community.
One neighbour, who did not want to be named, said: ‘ We always hoped they would come back at some stage but this looks rather final to me. It’s all very sad.’
Theresa Webb, 43, added: ‘It’s astonishing really, to think it could happen to any of us. I hope they get the time and space to get themselves together.’
The boarded- up house has remained under 24-hour police guard since the botched burglary and extra CCTV cameras and security lights have been installed.
One neighbour believes that the couple should be given police protection so they can return to their home. ‘It would send a stronger message if he came back,’ they said. ‘If he doesn’t maybe we should all sell up and leave?’
Vincent’s family have been locked in a battle with the local community over a shrine to the burglar that was erected and removed three times last week before council officials moved it to a communal garden nearby.