Daily Mirror

FURY AS OAP HELD FOR ‘KILLING BURGLAR’

Homeowner, 78, is arrested after ‘stabbing’ armed intruder in his own kitchen

- BY RUSSELL MYERS and MATTHEW YOUNG

THE arrest of a pensioner for allegedly stabbing a burglar to death has sparked widespread outrage.

Richard Osborn-Brooks, 78, disturbed two intruders then fought in his kitchen with one who was armed with a screwdrive­r. A pal said: “He deserves a medal.”

FRIENDS and neighbours have spoken out in support of the man held on suspicion of stabbing a burglar to death, saying: “He was just protecting himself.”

The 78-year-old murder suspect, named locally as Richard OsbornBroo­ks, was in bed with his wife when he heard two men breaking into his house at 12.45am yesterday.

It is believed the ex-RAC manager went downstairs to investigat­e before one of the raiders threatened him with a screwdrive­r and marched him into the kitchen.

As the other was looking around upstairs, a struggle broke out and the alleged intruder, aged 38, suffered a stab wound to the upper body.

Both alleged burglars then fled the home in4Hither8­Green, South East the number of people to be murdered in London so far this year

London, before neighbours spotted them trying to escape.

The injured man was found collapsed in a nearby street “covered in blood” after his partner tried to get him into a white getaway van.

Paramedics battled to save him but he died in a Central London hospital.

The Metropolit­an Police was last night unable to confirm if the suspected burglar was wounded with the screwdrive­r or a knife.

The incident has echoes of the infamous case of Norfolk farmer Tony Martin, who blasted a teenage burglar to death in his home in August 1999.

One of Mr Osborn-Brooks’ friends, Tony Guest, worked with him at the RAC in Croydon during the late 1970s.

He said: “I was shocked when someone told me it was Richard involved in this incident. He has every right to protect his property, he deserves a medal.”

Recalling their time at work, he continued: “He would finish working and come down and work the machines with us.

“We’d have a game of chess at lunch time and he’d come for a beer with us after work, or a nightclub. He wasn’t like the rest of the bosses, he would stick up for us and was part of the team.

“He was ahead of his time and a very intelligen­t person.”

Mr Osborn-Brooks is now retired and understood to care for his wife Maureen, 76. He was described as a “nice guy” who is popular in the community. Clem Williams, 58, a martial arts instructor who has lived on the same street for 20 years, said: “My personal opinion is why were the men at his house?

“The man has a right to defend his home. They should let him go.”

Sylbourne Sydail, chairman of the neighbourh­ood watch group, agreed saying: “A man should have the right and be able to defend their home. This reminds me of the Tony Martin case.”

Adam Lake, who lives near the scene, said: “He doesn’t deserve to be punished for defending himself, and the neighbours that I’ve spoken to all agree that the priority needs to be to support him after everything that he’s been through. He was just protecting himself after all.”

Mr Lake added: “When I heard it was a burglary I wasn’t surprised, there’s been a noticeable increase in crime in the area.

“We’ve even had to put up CCTV at home because we didn’t feel safe. Such an awful event, I feel terrible for the man that was burgled.”

Detectives from the Met’s Homicide and Major Crime Command were yesterday interviewi­ng witnesses to the latest incident as a shocking spike in violent crime grips the capital.

One terrified witness, who lives opposite the site where the suspected raider collapsed, told the Daily Mirror he heard “moaning and groaning” before seeing the stabbed man on the

ground. Gordon Williams, 44, claimed he could see a white middle-aged man “covered in blood” as a black man tried to get him inside a van.

He said: “I had just gone to bed and I heard moaning and groaning.

“I thought it was someone drunk but I managed to look out of the window.

“There was a black guy in a white van. I thought he was trying to drag him into the van, but then he drove off.”

Mr Williams said he went outside and approached the injured man, adding: “I just tried to reassure him. His T-shirt was covered in blood.”

A manhunt is under way to find the second suspect.

Another local said there had been a recent spate of break-ins in the area.

“I was burgled in the last couple of months,” said the unnamed man.

“I was renovating the house and they broke in and took a laptop. I know this has happened to others recently.” Mr Osborn-Brooks, who suffered bruising to his arms, was initially arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm but that later changed to murder. He last night

remained in custody at a South London police station, while a cordon was in place outside his home.

Should he be charged, the case will be compared to that of Tony Martin, the

Norfolk farmer who was convicted of murder after shooting Fred Barras, 16, with an illegally owned shotgun as the burglar tried to escape.

The conviction was later reduced to diminished responsibi­lity manslaught­er but Mr Martin served three years in jail.

It sparked a debate on the grounds for homeowners to use reasonable force when protecting their property.

The man who led the campaign to free Mr Martin also spoke out in defence of Mr Osborn-Brooks last night.

Malcolm Starr, 68, claimed the attack would have left the victim suffering a double trauma, saying: “First he’s hustled by two men into his kitchen where he fights for his life and then he finds himself facing a murder charge. It’s just not right, what happened to the premise that an Englishman’s home is his castle?”

It’s just not right. What happened to the premise an Englishman’s home is his castle?

MALCOLM STARR CAMPAIGNER SPEAKS OUT IN SUPPORT OF MR OSBORN-BROOKS

 ??  ??
 ??  ?? SUSPECT Richard at clay pigeon shoot
SUSPECT Richard at clay pigeon shoot
 ??  ?? REMINDER Tony Martin
REMINDER Tony Martin
 ??  ?? PROBE Richard Osborn-Brooks
PROBE Richard Osborn-Brooks
 ??  ?? KNIFE PROBE The house in Hither Green yesterday
KNIFE PROBE The house in Hither Green yesterday
 ??  ?? CLUE HUNT Team outside the house
CLUE HUNT Team outside the house
 ??  ?? FORENSICS Crime scene investigat­ors
FORENSICS Crime scene investigat­ors

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