Greenford stabbing: Man in his 80s who raised money for Ukraine is killed on his mobility scooter

A ‘very kind’ elderly man who raised money for victims of the Ukraine war was brutally stabbed to death while riding a mobility scooter in broad daylight yesterday in another day of bloodshed in London. 

The victim, who was well-known amongst locals as ‘a regular musician at South Greenford train station’, was killed yesterday afternoon in what is thought to be the 59th murder in the capital so far this year.

Metropolitan Police officers were called just after 4pm to Cayton Road – near the busy A40 Western Avenue – to reports of a man with stab injuries and he was declared dead at the scene.

Police are working to inform the victim’s next of kin and there have been no arrests, with the killer still at large. Detectives said that a crime scene was in place and ‘urgent inquiries to establish what happened are ongoing’.

Hitesh Patel, 62, a shop owner at Greenford station told the Evening Standard that the victim, who he says was Irish and a father-of-three, would often play the accordion on his mobility scooters to raise money for Ukraine.

Mr Patel said: ‘He always had a Ukraine flag on the front of his basket. It said Help for Ukraine as he played. He was very good, kind man.

‘I can’t believe anyone would hurt him in broad daylight like that. We will miss him and his playing around here.’ 

It marks the sixth murder investigation launched by Scotland Yard in just four days and has sparked a flurry of criticism against London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who said he was ‘devastated’ to hear of yesterday’s attack.

On Monday morning a man was stabbed to death at a Korean restaurant on Poland Street near Oxford Street in the West End. That afternoon a 58-year-old woman was stabbed to death at an address near Acton Town tube station.

A 36-year-old man was found dead in Lewisham and a 60-year-old man was fatally injured during a fight in Dagenham on Sunday, and a 25-year-old man was shot dead in Walthamstow on Saturday.

Frasley Coutinho said the stabbing in Greenwood took place right in front of his house and he managed to catch some of the incident on CCTV.   

He said: ‘I saw a couple of people gathering around him and then he drove past and stopped further up, and then there was a group of young boys around him.

‘I had a rose plant blocking it so I couldn’t see any more.’ 

Simran Advani, 25, a senior property manager who lives nearby, told how she often saw an elderly man on his mobility scooter every few days and that he ‘always used to smile’.

She said: ‘He was a nice old man. He often goes round the block, he always went on the road not the pavement. This is a very quiet area, you never hear any noise on this street. It’s scary for a man in his 80s to be killed here.

‘Most people on this road are elderly, you never hear any noise and never see any young people. It was just like a normal day today. There’s a parade of shops just round the corner under the train tracks and through an alley way which he might have been heading from or to.’

Parish Advani, whose house is near where the incident told place, told the Evening Standard that he was ‘deeply shocked’ by the death. He added: ‘I’m on holiday but my sister contacted me about it.

‘The police have been asking if anyone has CCTV and have been door to door. It’s frightening, deeply shocking to have something like this happen near your house.’

Another neighbour, who did not wish to give his name, said: ‘It’s not nice, it’s normally quiet here. It’s out of the way. I feel sorry for his family – I’m not entirely shocked with the amount of stabbing you hear on the news.

‘There are not many people coming and going, there’s not really any foot traffic. There’s playing fields and a school nearby. A lot of people park their cars here.’

He said there was a bus stop nearby, but ‘other than that not many people are walking around here’.

Footage from the scene posted online showed paramedics running to treat the victim. Officers are now appealing for dashcam video or cycle helmet footage from anyone who was in the area.

And Mr Khan tweeted last night: ‘I’m devastated that an elderly man was killed in a horrific attack this evening. My thoughts are with the victim’s loved ones.

‘I’m in close contact with @MetPoliceUK who have an additional uniformed presence in the area. I urge anyone with information to come forward.’

Forensic experts in blue overalls could be seen loading bags containing various items into police vans as dozens of officers guarded the scene.

A police cordon had been thrown over the site of residential semi-detached houses. It covers a T-junction between Cayton Road and Runnymede Gardens, which runs parallel to the A40 main road.

Two blue, yellow and white crime scene tents marked ‘MPS’ were pitched up next to the A40 on Runnymede Gardens, where forensic officers were working under bright lights on the road surface.

Detective Chief Inspector Jim Eastwood from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command said: ‘My officers are working to understand what has happened to this man, and we need the public’s assistance.

‘I’m asking for anyone with dashcam or cycle-helmet footage to contact us if they were using the Western Avenue A40 eastbound in the proximity of Cayton Road and Welland Gardens between 3.15pm and 4pm.

‘The elderly victim, who was riding a mobility scooter, was in the area at the time. If you saw the victim, or captured anyone acting suspiciously in the area, it is imperative that you make contact.’

Chief Superintendent Sean Wilson, lead for policing in Ealing, said: ‘This is an awful incident that will understandably cause considerable alarm to people locally and across London. Our thoughts are with the elderly victim.

‘We are supporting our colleagues in Specialist Crime as they work to understand what has happened and identify who is responsible for this horrific crime.

‘The support of the public is crucial. Police and the community must work together to identify violent offenders and remove them from our streets.

‘My officers will remain on scene. They are there to help and protect you – if you have information that you want to share please approach them and tell them what you know.’

The London Ambulance Service was called out at 4.10pm.

A spokesman said: ‘We sent a number of resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, a medic in a fast response car and an incident response officer. We also dispatched London’s Air Ambulance.

‘Sadly, despite the best efforts of our crews, a person was pronounced dead at the scene.’