Bagel heir held after mother and sister found stabbed to death

A SON from a famous bagel-making family has been arrested on suspicion of the double murders of his mother and sister at their £1.5million home.

Joshua Cohen, 27, was found in a north London park after officers launched a manhunt following the discovery of the bodies of his mother, named locally as Leah, 66, and sister Hannah, 33, at the family’s home in Golders Green.

The pair had been stabbed to death in what police have described as “a devastating attack”.

Detectives were called at 8.50pm on Friday night after reports that two women had been seriously injured. Police found them dead at the scene.

The family run the world-renowned Beigel Bake in Brick Lane, London, founded by Mr Cohen’s late father Asher with his brother and another partner in 1974. It was claimed to be Britain’s first bagel bakery.

Mr Cohen had worked in the family business, which is now predominantly run by his brothers.

A family friend told The Sunday Telegraph: “I find it quite shocking what’s happened. Josh used to come and go but it was mostly his brothers Nathan and Daniel who worked there.”

On his Facebook page Mr Cohen lists his last employment had been at a Costa Coffee store.

His sister Hannah, who had studied psychology at City University London, was a former pupil at Carmel College, Wallingford. Her former school friend said it was a “tragedy”.

A neighbour said: “It’s absolutely sickening, the police presence afterwards was crazy so I knew something really serious had happened.” Following a police appeal, a member of the public reported seeing Mr Cohen in Golders Hill Park, north-west London, yesterday afternoon.

Detectives arrested him shortly afterwards and he is being questioned at a north London police station.

Detective Inspector Ian Lott from the Homicide and Major Crime Command said: “Following a recent media appeal a member of the public alerted police and officers moved quickly to detain and arrest the man.

“This was a devastating attack on two women in their home. Our investigation is ongoing.” Detectives said Mr Cohen has mental health issues and suffers from paranoid schizophrenia. A 44-year-old neighbour added: “I’m really shocked and upset by what has happened. I know Josh from being about. Sometimes we’d be outside and smoke a cigarette together.

“His mother was disabled, mentally and physically, and she had a lot of help at the house.”

Mr Cohen senior, who died in December aged 81, arrived in the UK from Israel in the 1960s.