I’m so incensed by the killing of this vulnerable, elderly gentleman, and can’t stop thinking about him and his loved ones. It’s very distressing.
I was born and bred in London, and have lived in various London boroughs my whole life - the same is true of my parents, and was the case for my grandparents too. It’s definitely getting more and more unsafe in my opinion with every year.
When my Grandad was in his 80’s and visibly frail, a group of teenagers started shouting at him, laughing and firing an air pellet gun towards him and his dog while on a walk in his local park. This understandably terrified him and he and his dog escaped as fast as they could - fortunately physically unscathed, but not mentally. When he returned home, he had an asthma attack and my Nan called for an ambulance and the police. He was checked over and the police were lovely with him, but told him they’d be shocked if they caught anyone, and that there would be limited punishments available anyway.
Also in his 80’s, my Grandad was challenged to a fight at the entrance to a bus by a man in his 20’s when he had told the man there was a queue of elderly people who’ve been waiting a long time and he shouldn’t push in. He punched my Grandad, and he was able to punch the arsehole back, and fortunately the bus driver jumped in and grabbed hold of him before he could punch my Grandad again, and he told him he would call the police and to fuck off.
My then widowed Nan was approached by a man when she was in her late 80’s while she was walking her dog. She thought she’d been followed and got onto the main road, only to have the same man suddenly approach her from behind telling her she’s got sexy legs. He then grabbed her arm and started saying really disgusting sexual things to her, and she was terrified. Fortunately someone from outside the pub opposite came to ask if my Nan was ok, and the scum bag ran off. The police weren’t surprised by what my Nan reported to them.
I was disgusted and terrified to learn of all the above crimes that affected my grandparents, and I shudder to think that the outcomes could’ve been so different. I have no doubt that any of those individuals involved would’ve thought twice about seriously injuring or killing my grandparents. To our knowledge, no one was ever arrested for any of the above.
So many other terrible things have happened to other loved ones too in London who are not pensioners. It’s shocking when I start to mentally itemise them all - and the police didn’t catch anyone for any of these either (including attempted murder).
Something serious and radical needs to take place, and fast. The situation is utterly diabolical. Society is on its’ knees - it’s like nothing is sacred anymore.