Police hunt ‘prolific shoplifter’ who ‘knifed busker Thomas O’Halloran during busted street robbery’

Detectives are hunting an alleged ‘prolific shoplifter’ who is suspected of knifing a beloved 87-year-old busker to death in broad daylight following a ‘street robbery gone wrong’ in a row over the pensioner’s charity cash.

Thomas O’Halloran was fatally attacked in Greenford, west London on Tuesday while raising money for Ukraine war victims in the latest suspected murder to shake Britain’s lawless capital that has seen six murder investigations in the last four days alone.

Officers yesterday released images of a ‘dangerous individual’ seen fleeing the scene of the attack on Mr O’Halloran, 87 – who was originally from Ennistymon in County Clare, Ireland – and said officers want to identify him urgently.

Local security guards at the Tesco superstore where Mr O’Halloran frequently busked outside warned the alleged knifeman had often been kicked out of local shops on suspicion of shoplifting on a handful of other occasions. 

Police, who described the killing as unprovoked, are understood to be investigating a failed street robbery as their main line of enquiry. It remains unclear if any possessions or cash were taken from Mr O’Halloran following the attack, and the Metropolitan Police did not immediately respond to request for comment.

It comes as chilling footage showed the final fateful journey of a beloved 87-year-old pensioner who was stabbed to death in a ‘botched robbery attempt’ after spending the afternoon busking to raise money for victims of war.

Adjusting a blue charity collection box, sprayed with yellow paint to represent the Ukraine flag, Thomas O’Halloran, 87, drives past a Tesco store in Greenford, west London just minutes before he was brutally knifed.

CCTV footage shows the much-loved busker 20 minutes before he was attacked in broad daylight in an alleyway next to the busy A40 Western Avenue, in what is believed to be lawless London’s 64th murder so far this year. 

The footage was taken at 3.48pm as he passed a newsagent shop close to the superstore. Police were called 18 minutes later at 4.06pm after Mr O’Halloran was ambushed as he headed towards Greenford Station a mile away. 

Friends suspect the well-known community fundraiser was followed by someone in the run up to the stabbing who ‘had been watching him collect his charity money’ that afternoon before launching their attack.

A group of teenage boys rushed to Mr O’Halloran’s aid and called the emergency services. London’s air ambulance was scrambled but despite the best efforts of paramedics the pensioner was pronounced dead at the scene. 

His killer is thought to have fled in the seconds after the attack, in which a severely injured Mr O’Halloran managed to haul himself nearly 100 yards using his mobility scooter as he begged for help from passersby. There have been no arrests made as of yet with police appealing for witnesses. 

It comes as London Mayor Sadiq Khan faced growing pressure to crack down on violent crime last night after Mr O’Halloran was knifed in an unassuming suburb in broad daylight.

Tories accused the left-wing leader of doing ‘next to nothing’ following six murders in four days and 59 so far this year.

Former policing minister Kit Malthouse called for Mr Khan to consider introducing tough measures similar to those brought in by Boris Johnson when he was London mayor. 

Mr Malthouse, now Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, told LBC radio station that London ‘has been plagued by knife crime in the past and seems to be in the grip of it again.

‘I just hope that the mayor starts to take this as seriously as we did all those years ago and leans in hard.’

Flowers were left outside the Tesco superstore Mr O’Halloran frequented as a mark of respect, while the ‘RIP Thomas’ hashtag was trending on Twitter for hours on late Wednesday evening as people were quick to pay their respects to a warm and charitable man.

One friend, who had known the Irish-born retired engineer for more than 20 years, told MailOnline: ‘Someone must have been watching him collect his charity money then followed him. An elderly man on a mobility scooter is an easy target and you wouldn’t expect them to put up much of a fight. It’s a despicable crime.’ 

Their comments come as relatives of Mr O’Halloran paid powerful tribute to the beloved busker – with the pensioner’s grandson, Joey, 20, telling MailOnline of his family’s ‘complete shock’ at the horrifying killing. 

He said: ‘The family are still trying to take in what has happened, it is a complete shock. My father called me this morning, he was very upset and didn’t talk much. I just don’t understand why someone would do this to a defenceless old man’.

The Metropolitan Police have since announced they will host a public meeting for residents at 7.30pm on Thursday to air their thoughts and concerns in the wake of the brutal murder.

Scotland Yard Detective Chief Inspector Jim Eastwood, who is leading the investigation, said: ‘We are keen to identify the man in the CCTV images as a matter of urgency.

‘He is clearly a dangerous individual and people are advised not to approach him, but to call us immediately on 999 if they know him or have any information regarding his whereabouts.

‘My team and I have been working around the clock to bring Mr O’Halloran’s killer to justice, but we need your help. If you have any information at all that will assist us with our investigation – no matter how small – please contact us or alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously.’

‘I’d also appeal to anyone who might have dash cam or cycle helmet footage that might have captured the incident to get in touch with us.’

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 the 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.

A friend who had known Mr O’Halloran for more than 20 years told MailOnline: ‘I can’t believe this has happened. Tom was the most cheerful, jolly person I’ve ever known.

‘Not a day went by when he didn’t have a smile on his face. Someone must have been watching him collect his charity money then followed him.

‘An elderly man on a mobility scooter is an easy target and you wouldn’t expect them to put up much of a fight. It’s a despicable crime.

‘Tom was a man of habit. Every day he would be out and about with his wife who also had a mobility scooter. They would be travelling around at around 10am.

‘At 12pm he would go alone up to Tesco to play his accordion. He would sit outside until the late afternoon then would come back along the path where he was attacked and go to Greenford Station.

‘He’d go to the station at 5pm for a couple of hours. He would be there during the busy time when everyone was coming home from work then go home at 7pm.

‘He had a Ukrainian flag and had a box in his basket for people to put money into. Sometimes people would give him £10 or £20 at a time.’

The friend added: ‘Tom was a well known figure in the local community and was known as someone who brought joy into people’s lives. 

‘He was so upbeat and positive. He was always laughing and telling jokes. 

‘He used to drive around in a three wheeler car. The police took it away one day because it hadn’t been taxed for a long time. 

‘Even that didn’t appear to stress him out and that’s when he got his mobility scooter.’

Neighbours of the pensioner were also left stunned by the tragedy. They said Mr O’Halloran was affectionately known as ‘Uncle Tom’ and had lived in Greenford since the Seventies.

Anushka Burnett, 37, said: ‘Tom was such a lovely guy. He was always bubbly. He was always making jokes and laughing. 

‘He was just a lovely caring man. He made a lot of effort with all the neighbours. I had conversations with him every day. 

‘He just couldn’t do enough to help people out with little jobs. 

‘It just doesn’t seem right. He was so friendly. He had no problems with anyone. 

‘He was out all the time. He has never complained about anything happening while he was out. He felt very safe and comfortable getting around. That is what makes this so shocking. 

‘He loved his music. As well as the accordion he played other instruments and he used to sing in his back garden. It was old classical music. He was a very good musician. 

‘I just can’t imagine why anyone would do this.’

Adrianna Sowinska said: ‘It was a great shock when I heard what happened. He was a lovely person. People would come up to him and talk to him. He never did anyone any harm. It’s shocking that somebody would do to a defenceless person who needs a mobility scooter to get around. 

‘He’s very well known in the area. He was a real character. I can’t believe this has happened. 

‘I see him everywhere. He plays his accordion outside the station and outside Tesco. He is a good player. He told me he would do it as he just loved playing music and making people happy. He used to play nice melodies.’ 

Another neighbour told how he learned of the tragedy when police arrived at Mr O’Halloran’s house on Tuesday evening. 

He said: ‘I heard screaming coming from the house. It was his wife. She was so distraught when they told her what had happened.’ 

Chief Superintendent Sean Wilson, who is in charge of policing for West London, including Ealing, said: ‘Mr O’Halloran had his life needlessly snatched away in a shocking act of unprovoked violence.

‘I understand that the community will, quite rightly, be shocked and appalled by this incident as I am too.

‘Mr O’Halloran was a very well known and much loved member of our community. My thoughts are with his family and friends. I’d like to appeal for their privacy to be respected while they come to terms with their loss.

‘Detectives from the Specialist Crime Command, with the assistance of my officers, have been working tirelessly over the last 20 hours to understand what has happened and to identify who is responsible for this horrific crime.

‘The public will see extra officers patrolling the area over the coming days. They are there to help and protect you – so if you have any concerns or information that you want to share then please approach them.

‘I realise the impact incidents like this have on our communities, but I’d like to reassure you that we are doing all we can to solve the horrendous crimes we’ve seen across London over the last few days.

‘I stress that London remains one of the safest cities in the world, but we need your help and so please come forward with any information you have about this awful incident or any other violent crimes.’ 

London Mayor Sadiq 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.’ 

But Mr Khan has been criticised by many for the huge numbers of violent crimes in the capital in recent weeks. 

Conservative MP for Chelsea and Fulham Greg Hands tweeted yesterday morning that Mayor Khan needs to ‘get a grip’ after the fifth stabbing in a single weekend was confirmed. 

The stabbing of Mr O’Halloran is thought to be the 59th murder in London so far this year.

According to the Met’s crime dashboard, the number of homicides in the capital in the year to July was nearly 15% down on the previous 12 months.

But last year saw a surge in the number of homicides caused by knives or sharp implements, with 74.4% of the 133 murders last year being knife crimes, a 15.6% increase from 2020. 

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

Mr Coutinho added: ‘It is terrible. This is a peaceful area. It happened in broad daylight in summertime on a busy road as well. 

‘I see him all the time. I have lived here for the last few years and he was jolly. We would say “hello” to each other. He was quite a peaceful guy going on his way.’

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 on the Western Avenue A40 eastbound near Cayton Road and Welland Gardens between 1.15pm and 4.15pm. 

Neighbours have expressed fear after the latest in a spate of murders in the capital. Ali Gaber, 80, who lives near the cordon, said: ‘I am very worried. He is an old man and somebody stabbed him. What were they looking for? 

‘Of course I am worried, I am over 80 too and am disabled. I feel really unsafe. This is quite a quiet area and everybody knows each other.’

Simran Advani, 25, a senior property manager who lives nearby, told how she often saw Mr O’Halloran 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.’

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’.

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.

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.’

Anyone with footage of the incident is asked to upload it using this online form. Anyone who knows the man in the image, or has information about the murder, is asked to call the incident room on 020 8358 0300 quoting 4691/16AUG. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555 111 or by clicking here