Elderly man stabbed to death while riding mobility scooter in London

Detectives investigating ‘horrific crime’ appeal for dashcam footage to help identify killer

An elderly man who was riding a mobility scooter has been stabbed to death in west London.

Police said the victim, believed to be aged in his 80s, was attacked in Greenford, Ealing, on Tuesday afternoon.

Officers were called to Cayton Road at 4.06pm to reports of a man with stab injuries. Parademics and an air ambulance responded but the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police have made no arrests and were still working to inform the man’s next of kin on Tuesday night.

Pictures of the scene following the stabbing showed a large number of officers and a red mobility scooter on the road, which had been cordoned off with police tape.

Chief Superintendent Sean Wilson, lead for policing in Ealing, said: “This is an awful incident that will understandably cause considerable alarm to people locally and across London. Our thoughts are with the elderly victim.

“We are supporting our colleagues in Specialist Crime as they work to understand what has happened and identify who is responsible for this horrific crime.”

Police forensics officers at the scene of the stabbing (PA)

Detective Chief Inspector Jim Eastwood, from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command said: “My officers are working to understand what has happened to this man, and we need the public’s assistance.

“I’m asking for anyone with dashcam or cycle-helmet footage to contact us if they were using the Western Avenue A40 eastbound in the proximity of Cayton Road and Welland Gardens between 3.15pm and 4pm.

“The elderly victim, who was riding a mobility scooter, was in the area at the time. If you saw the victim, or captured anyone acting suspiciously in the area, it is imperative that you make contact.”

Simran Advani, 25, a senior property manager who lives near to where the stabbing took place, said she often saw an elderly man on his mobility scooter who “always used to smile”.

She told the PA news agency: “He was a nice old man. He often goes round the block, he always went on the road not the pavement.”

She added: “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.”

Police at the scene of a fatal stabbing in Ealing, west London (PA)

Another neighbour, who did not wish to give his name, told PA: “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”.

The London Ambulance Service was called out at 4.10pm.

A spokesperson 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.”