Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Jailed when he charged OAP £72K to fix roof tile Farmer locked up for killing raider: Richard must not be charged
He was wanted for theft of gems when killed in raid Stabbed burglar only targeted the vulnerable
COWARDLY Henry Vincent targeted vulnerable and frail pensioners to rob and fleece them of cash in a criminal career that dated back years.
And the junkie was on the run from police for a distraction burglary of jewellery in January when he was stabbed to death by Richard Osborn-brooks, during a raid on the 78-year-old’s home.
As friends and neighbours launched an appeal to help pay Richard’s legal costs after his arrest on suspicion of murder, it was revealed Vincent had been in and out of prison and came from a notorious crime family.
The 37-year-old was jailed for six years in 2009 for charging an 80-year-old widower £72,000 to replace a single tile on his roof which should have cost £50.
His dad Henry was part of the sickening fraud and went on the run for two years before getting six years in 2011.
Some members of the wider family are understood to have plagued the South East London and Kent areas with their despicable crimes. Vincent Jnr’s two cousins William, 37, and 34-yearold Amos were jailed in 2007 for a string of distraction burglaries on elderly people.
The vile brothers targeted victims claiming they were from the gas or water board before tricking their way into homes. They even picked on a 90-year-old housebound woman. Other victims included an couple in their 80s, who were robbed of £90. William and Amos were later arrested. They admitted burglary and were jailed for four and three years respectively.
But when the brothers were outed on a Neighbourhood Watch Facebook page, a man called Bill Vincent launched a sickening tirade against their victims. He posted: “The old b ****** s deserve everything they get.” In another, he wrote: “An oap a day will keep ur bank balance a bay… got to love the old c***s.”
Mr Osborn-brooks, of Hither Green, South East London, was released on bail yesterday until May. He found Vincent, who was armed with a screwdriver, and an accomplice in his kitchen as his 76-year-old disabled wife Maureen was upstairs in the bedroom.
Mr Osborn-brooks allegedly stabbed the raider, who then fled with his crime partner.
Vincent, believed to be the dad of three girls, was found collapsed 200 yards away after his pal allegedly left him to bleed to death.
A Gofundme page was set up to raise cash for former RAC manager Richard’s legal fees. A petition was launched called Release Richard Osborn-brooks without charge.
His cousin Zoe Brooks said the family had been shocked by the
A FARMER jailed for life after shooting dead a burglar has called for Richard Osborn-brooks be freed without charge.
Tony Martin, 73, who killed 16-year-old Fred Barras and injured his accomplice Brendon Fearon, 29, said: “I would have done the same thing if I was in Richard’s situation.
“Until these people entered his space he was a law-abiding man.
“Then he fought for his life and now finds himself facing a murder charge. The police should let him go as soon as possible, not hold him on a murder charge.
“He will be living on tenterhooks. Some people may think I’m insensitive but this person is dead because of his own mistake. Richard is not a criminal, he’s just a very unlucky man to be caught up in the muck of other people and legislation. The same thing happened to me 20 years ago so I can understand how it ended up the way it did.
“This man had a normal life, like you or I. He was a peaceful person, but suddenly it all changed. If someone with a screwdriver comes into your house you have to make up your mind which way it’s going.
“We are wild animals at heart and you become primeval in these situations. He was in survival mode.” Mr Martin killed Barras in August 1999 at his farm in
Emneth Hungate, Norfolk, as the youngster and Fearon, who was blasted in the legs, launched a night-time raid. The terrified homeowner told police he opened fire after the sound of the burglars smashing a window woke him up.
He insisted he acted in self-defence but prosecutors claimed he lay in wait to shoot the pair in revenge for previous break-ins there.
He was convicted of murder but he launched a legal challenge against the decision.
Appeal Court judges later reduced the charge to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, and Mr Martin served three years.
And he believes the law should be changed to give more protection to people like Mr Osborn-brooks. Mr Martin first heard about the story yesterday and went to buy a copy of the Mirror to learn further details of the case.
Speaking outside his farm he said: “Richard didn’t cause this problem at all. He didn’t attack anybody he just protected himself and his property.
“Personally, I was very lucky being 55 at the time it happened to me.
“But Richard is a fair bit older and should not have been subjected to this.
“The law stinks, he hasn’t done anything wrong.
“He’s a victim but in this case he is suffering double.
“There’s something wrong when the filth of the earth have more human rights than homeowners.”