Man fighting for life after double stabbing in north London

Crime reporter(wp/es):

A teenager was fighting for life in hospital and another man was injured after a double stabbing in north London.

Police were trawling the Turnpike Lane area for clues on the location of the stabbings on Friday morning after the 19-year-old arrived at a hospital in north London with knife wounds. 

Scotland Yard said officers believed both men were stabbed during "a violent incident" near Waldegrave Road in the early hours of the morning.

Staff at the hospital alerted police after the teenager was admitted at about 1am.

He was transferred to a hospital in east London where his condition was described as life-threatening.

Emergency services were seperately called to Waldegrave Road to reports of a man stabbed at 12.50am. A 23-year-old man was taken to hospital with stab wounds not believed to be serious.

A Met Police spokesman said: "Detectives from Haringey CID are investigating. 

"They believe the 19-year-old man was stabbed in the area of Turnpike Lane or Waldegrave Road. 

"The 23-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder."

A crime scene was set up and parts of Turnpike Lane and Westbury Avenue were sealed off for hours as officers investigated.

Mark Humphris posted on Twitter: “Lots of roads closed around Wood Green, Turnpike Lane and A10 area. Police on scene.” 

Enquiries continue to establish the full circumstances.

Top barrister killed as fire rips through Thames-side apartment in Bermondsey

Pic:prosecutor Ian Paton died after a blaze in his Bermondsey flat
Staff reporter(wp/es):

A top barrister and part-time judge who died after a blaze ripped through his Thames-side apartment was a “true gentleman”, friends said today.

Ian Paton, 66, a criminal prosecutor who also sat as a crown court recorder, was in his third-floor flat in Luna House, Bermondsey Wall West, when fire broke out.

Mr Paton, who worked for QEB Hollis Whiteman Chambers, was pulled from the flames by firefighters but pronounced dead shortly after.

Other residents of the block fled as smoke poured from the apartment.

Sources said the blaze, which happened at about 5.30pm on Tuesday, had been investigated to ensure it was not connected to his work and to rule out a revenge attack.

Mr Paton’s prosecutions had led to several criminals being jailed. “This is no longer suspicious. This will probably go down more as misadventure. The cause is still being investigated,  but there were candles in the flat,” a source said.

A post-mortem examination has taken place and more tests are due to be carried out, but it is suspected Mr Paton, who lived alone, died from smoke inhalation.

Friend and former colleague Sally Mertens, 46, a barrister at Atkinson Bevan Chambers, said: “He was really well respected, a true gentleman and very fair towards people as a prosecutor. He was a lovely guy and a very good barrister. He also sat as a judge part-time, as a recorder. He worked on a lot of stuff, from murders to frauds.

“He was a pleasure to work with. It’s incredibly sad. He was incredibly well respected among his colleagues. Being at QEB Chambers, you’re talking about one of the top five to be with, so he was at the top of his game.”

Barrister John Traversi, of 9 Bedford Row Chambers, added: “We started at the Bar at about the same time. He was a very bright, capable and unyielding prosecutor. He was hugely respected.

“Anybody who came across him in court representing the other side knew they would be up against it. He was a formidable opponent and it’s a huge loss to the profession.”

A family friend, who wished not to be named, said: “Everyone is devastated. He was a great man who had a young daughter and this is terrible just before Christmas.” His daughter was too upset to speak.

It took 21 firefighters nearly two hours to control the blaze. One evacuated resident said: “It must have been going on for a good few hours. There was a lot of billowing, thick black smoke coming from the window. I don’t think anybody could have survived that.”

London Fire Brigade said: “A man was rescued from the flat by firefighters but was sadly confirmed dead at scene.”

Six men arrested in riots after 'Wild n Out' music event shut down

Pic:Frightened witnesses saw armed police outside McDonald's on Ealing Broadway 
Crime reporter(wp/es):

Six men have been arrested after a riot broke out in west London after police shut down a Somali music event.

Gangs of youths wreaked havoc as police officers were allegedly targeted with missiles while trying to disperse the crowd in Ealingon Thursday night.

Two police dogs were also injured in the melee after the £15 Somali “Wild n out” music show at Ealing Town Hall was shut down shortly after 11pm over fears of overcrowding.

A Metrolpolitan Police spokesman confirmed six men - aged between 19 and 23 – has been arrested on suspicion of public order offences. They are being held at west London police stations.

Deputy Borough Commander of Ealing, Detective Superintendent Robert Mahoney, said: "A large number of people tried to gain entry to a pre-planned event being held at Ealing Town Hall last night.

"They were stopped from entering because of safety concerns. This resulted in some of the group engaging in disorder. 

"A swift and proportionate police response soon brought the situation under control and six men are currently in custody. I want to reassure the residents of Ealing that this was an isolated incident which has been effectively dealt with."

One organiser suggested some 2,000 people had turned up to the venue which can only hold 600.

After organisers decided to close the event to ensure safety, a mob of youths is said to have descended on nearby Longfield Avenue where rioting broke out.

Frightened witnesses reported seeing scores of armed police patrolling outside McDonald’s at the junction with Spring Bridge Road.

One of the event’s promoters told the Standard: “The reason it got closed was because too many people attended the event which was only promoted for a week.”

A man was found suffering from injuries in nearby Mattock Lane and rushed to hospital by ambulance.

He remains in a west London hospital in a stable condition and enquiries are underway to establish how he sustained his injuries.

Elderly man dies after being hit by car in Sydenham crash

Staff reporter(wp/es):

An elderly man was killed after he was hit by a car in south London on Thursday night.

The pensioner, thought to be aged around 80, was seriously injured and rushed to hospital following the crash in Lewisham.

He later died in hospital.

Police and ambulances raced to Sydenham Road in Sydenham at around 8.30pm following reports of a crash between a car and a pedestrian.

The road was closed between Newlands Park and Kent House Road while police dealt with the incident, which happened near to the Hexagon Housing building.

Witness Fiona Fraser said she saw "so many police" on the busy stretch of road. Another passerby described traffic as "gridlock".

The driver of the car stopped at the scene, a spokesman for the Met said.

A post-mortem examination is to be carried out and officers are continuing to investigate what happened.

The Met Police are appealing for information following the fatal crash.