August 18th, 2022.
My summer hiatus has been interrupted by events in the UK that I find difficult to comment on but cannot ignore.
A period of violence saw 6 people murdered in 4 days, with the nadir being reached with the knife murder of an 87-year-old busker whilst sitting on his mobility scooter in West London. He was playing music and collecting funds for a Ukrainian charity. He was a well-known local character and part of the local society.
Tom O’ Halloran was often seen making his way through Greenford on the way to his pitch outside Greenford station.
The Metropolitan Police released a picture of a man wanted for questioning in relation to the incident. He is pictured below running from the scene with a knife in his left hand.
Late news:- police today attended an address in Southall and arrested a 44-year-old man in connection with the incident.
He was arrested at an address in Southall, west London, in the early hours of Thursday, the Metropolitan Police said.
Detective Chief Inspector Jim Eastwood, who is leading the investigation, said: “I would like to thank the public for their overwhelming support following this horrific incident”. Perhaps the only small piece of comfort from this awful incident has been the torrent of support for the police from the public.
Detectives believe Mr O’Halloran was stabbed in Western Avenue at about 4 pm before managing to travel around 75 yards on his mobility scooter to Runnymede Gardens, where he flagged down a member of the public for help before succumbing to his injuries.
The following makes grim reading: –
17th August, man charged with murder following a fatal stabbing in Poland Street, W1 on 15th August.
17th August, woman charged with murder following a fatal stabbing in Ealing W3 on 15th August.
16th August, man charged with murder following the discovery of a body at a Lewisham address on 14th August. No details are available.
16th August, man charged with murder following the discovery of a man with fatal injuries in Dagenham on 14th August.
13th August, man taken to hospital in East London with fatal gunshot wounds from an address in Forest Rise, E17. Police are appealing for assistance.
There is much clamour about police losing the streets, often quite justly, but only the murder of Tom O’ Halloran can be described as a random street crime. The others appear to be domestic, or work-related, or disputes amongst known associates. I will not speculate as to any related criminal activities regarding these murders perpetrated by possible associates.
Where the police are correctly brought to book are their failures to get on top of street crime, gang shootings/stabbings and assaults caused by territorial transgressions. These incidents have been spreading from the usual areas into the suburbs and even tourist areas such as the West End.
I have been commuting to London for the past three weeks and I have to admit to being more alert and aware of my surroundings than I used to be. It was almost like walking through the major cities in LDCs where I plied my trade for years.
