Read more: https://metro.co.uk/2019/05/02...9392697/?ito=cbshare

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This took place last year, when two armed men, wearing Balaclava face-masks, forced their way into the home of 78-y/o Richard Osborn-Brooks and his elderly wife.

In the resulting scuffle, he fatally stabbed Henry Vincent while he tried to burglarise his home. (Picture not shown: PA/Kent Police).

A burglar who was stabbed to death by a pensioner was lawfully killed, a coroner has ruled. Henry Vincent, 37, was killed after breaking into the south-east London home of Richard Osborn-Brooks, then 78, on April 4 last year.

Giving evidence at London Inner South Coroner’s Court today Mr Osborn-Brooks said he felt ‘terrified’ and ‘helpless’ when he was faced with two men wearing balaclavas at his door in the early hours. The pensioner said he didn’t mean to stab Vincent, who was brandishing a screwdriver at the time, and was trying to protect his wife at the time.

Vincent’s chest was pierced with a 12-inch kitchen knife by Mr Osborn-Brooks, who had warned the intruder that his weapon was ‘bigger than yours and if you don’t leave my house you will be sorry’.

But Vincent, who had cocaine and heroin in his system, ignored the warning and instead ‘ran into’ the blade, Mr Osborn-Brooks told the inquest. Richard Osborn-Brooks, 78, said he didn’t mean to stab Vincent. Mr Osborn-Brooks said he told Vincent ‘get out of my house, you bastard or it will be the worse for you’.

Senior coroner Andrew Harris recorded a verdict of lawful killing on Thursday. He said: ‘In considering the force it would seem that given there are two intruders at night, one with a weapon, the use of moderate force would seem to me to reasonably be proportionate. ‘It seems to me the combination of unpredictability and fear were factors that have to be taken into account considering the proportionality of the force that was used.’

Vincent, who was part of the traveller’s community in Swanley, Kent, fled the scene wounded but collapsed in the street and later died at the University Hospital Lewisham. Mr Osborn-Brooks was initially arrested on suspicion of murder but was later released without charge.

His arrest provoked a public outcry and a fundraising campaign was launched in support of the pensioner, which raised thousands of pounds.

Giving evidence via an audio link, the pensioner described how the two men knocked on his door, grabbed him and pushed him inside. One shoved him toward the kitchen, with the other running upstairs as they both demanded money.

Mr Osborn-Brooks said after he picked up the largest kitchen knife from a nearby six-knife holder, Vincent’s accomplice fled through the front door. He told the hearing Vincent then came down the stairs brandishing a screwdriver and said: ‘Get out of my way or I’ll stick you with this.’

Coroner Andrew Harris, reading Mr Osborn-Brooks’s police statement to him, said: ‘You said “I think you’re wrong because mine’s bigger than yours and if you don’t leave my house you will be sorry”.’

But Mr Osborn-Brooks said he was trying to show that the knife he had was bigger than his screwdriver and if he were to lunge, he’d hit the knife first rather than the pensioner.

He said he thought his threat would scare Vincent out of his home. Mr Osborn-Brooks continued: ‘My intention was to get him out of the house and away from my wife.

Mr Osborn-Brooks’ arrest on suspicion of murder sparked public outcry at the time ‘I still think that Mr Vincent rushes forward intending to do me harm and he ran into the knife that I was holding between us. ‘He definitely didn’t try to get out of the front door, he came towards me.’

A police officer told the inquest he was called to the scene at around 12.45am, where he found three people standing in the road and Vincent lying on the road. When his t-shirt was lifted, one puncture wound to the upper right-hand side of the chest was discovered and he called for an ambulance immediately, PC Hickey said. The officer said he performed CPR for 15 minutes until emergency workers arrived. Vincent was taken by ambulance to hospital but pronounced dead at 3.47am, the coroner heard.

His mother, Rose Lee, told the hearing: ‘Why couldn’t that gentleman have just stepped back like a normal person would have? ‘How could the young man that was killed lunge forward to this gentleman when he’s squashed between the door, the wall and the stairs?’
Residents tore down tribute flowers to Vincent but family and friends kept replacing them Sister, Rosier Vincent told the hearing: ‘My brother was not a violent person. ‘He was a father, he was a son he was a brother. No one deserves to die.’

Pathologist Simon Poole, who carried out the post-mortem examination on Vincent, said in a statement that the toxicology report indicated ‘a recent use of both cocaine and heroin’. He added Vincent ‘may have been experiencing the effects’ of the drugs at the time of his raid. The cause of death was given as an incised wound to the chest. Following his death, Vincent’s friends and family laid flowers and cards opposite the house. But they were repeatedly torn down by neighbours angry at the shrine to a criminal – only to reappear again within hours or days.

Notice how the would-be burglar's mother, 'Gypsy Rose Lee', tries to defend her POS son - sounds all too familiar to SIG forum readers. FYI, the so-called 'travelling community are wholesale contributors to community crime in the UK. Sure, there are good folks there, but all we hear about are those who are less than law-abiding, and there are plenty of them, for sure.

Geez... how dare anyone defend themselves against an intruder in the UK!!!

So glad I live in the USA, and in the state of Alabama where I can defend myself when needed!

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Sister, Rosier Vincent told the hearing: ‘My brother was not a violent person. ‘He was a father, he was a son he was a brother. No one deserves to die.’

Especially the intended victims of a couple of doped-up home invaders, Sis.

No one deserves to die? That's the stupidest thing I've heard so far this year.

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No one deserves to die.

Deserve got nothin' to do with it, sweetie.

Just confirms the saying "bring enough knife!"

If I find you in my home, and you are uninvited, I can reasonably assume you wish to do me harm. So you've begun a game of "kill me kill you."

You now deserve to die.

The idea that no one does, is asinine.

everyone dies sooner or later

some just sooner and for good reasons

glad they 'saw the light' and the pensioner is OK

Since 2000, there have been seventeen cases where the intruder has either suffered severe injuries, or death. Only in one case was the victim held to judgement for his actions. Having rendered the intruder unconscious with a tent peg mallet that he just happened to have about his person [like you do] he went away to call the police, and upon returning to the unconscious and bleeding intruder, then battered him to death with it.

He rightly got done for second degree murder.

whether he thought it up or it really happened - the "he ran into my blade" part of the story seems to be the main thing that saved his ass.

Evidently there is some truth to the saying, “Never corner a man meaner than you.”

The homeowner was arrested on suspicion of murder. Of course! How dare he protect himself and his wife. Clearly, a civilized person would simply serve tea and crumpets to the armed home invaders in order to de-escalate the situation.

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He was a father

Damn, he reproduced

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Originally posted by Sportshooter:
Evidently there is some truth to the saying, “Never corner a man meaner than you.”

Or more desperate to save his wife and himself.

Jim

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Originally posted by parabellum:
No one deserves to die? That's the stupidest thing I've heard so far this year.

The House Dems are trying their best to top it.

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Having rendered the intruder unconscious with a tent peg mallet that he just happened to have about his person [like you do] he went away to call the police, and upon returning to the unconscious and bleeding intruder, then battered him to death with it.

WOW he sure messed with the wrong guy

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Originally posted by Sig2340:

quote:

No one deserves to die.

Deserve got nothin' to do with it, sweetie.

Hah!

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Damn, he reproduced

Hopefully he was not in the process of reproducing his values.

I see you've got your own Dindu Nuffins on your side of the pond as well.

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The officer said he performed CPR for 15 minutes until emergency workers arrived.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't penetrating trauma to the thoracic region a reason to NOT perform CPR?

Doesn't it serve to push what little blood remains out thereby accelerating exsanguination and death?