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Edmonton stabbing victim named as Christopher John Barry Edmonton stabbing victim named as Christopher John Barry
(about 3 hours later)
A 53-year-old man who was killed outside his home in Edmonton, north London, has been named as Christopher John Barry, also known as Jack. The residents of a block of flats in London where a man was killed on Sunday have spoken of their fear of localised violent crime.
Four boys aged 13 and 14 were arrested in connection with the death and were released on bail on Tuesday. A fifth boy, aged 13, was arrested on Monday and is being questioned by police. A 13-year-old boy was being questioned by police in connection with the killing of Christopher John Barry, 53, while four other boys aged between 13 and 14 have been released on bail.
Police believe Barry, who lived in a block of flats at Brickland Court, The Broadway, was caught up in an argument with a group of young people as he tried to enter the building. Barry, who was accompanied by a woman, entered the block of flats but was followed by two individuals and stabbed. Barry was attempting to enter the Bricklands Court Broadway flats in Edmonton on Sunday evening when he got involved in an argument with the teenagers.
Police were called to the site by the London ambulance service just before 8pm on Sunday. Barry was pronounced dead at the scene about half an hour later. Police said there was a supervised party under way in the building, and the boys were trying to gain access. Barry, who was accompanied by a woman believed to be his girlfriend, entered the building but was followed by two of the boys and stabbed.
A postmortem examination took place on Monday and gave the cause of death as a stab wound to the chest. “The victim and this group were not known to each other – what started as a minor verbal altercation has escalated into a shocking act of violence,” said the lead investigator, Det Ch Insp Neale Baldock of the homicide and major crime command.
Detective Chief Inspector Neale Baldock of the homicide and major crime command, who is leading the investigation, said initial enquiries established that there was a supervised party taking place at another address in the block and a group of young people were trying to gain access. Police were called to the flats by the London Ambulance service just before 8pm on Sunday, but Barry was pronounced dead at the scene little more than half an hour later.
“The victim and this group were not known to each other. What started as a minor verbal altercation has escalated into a shocking act of violence,” he added. A postmortem examination on Monday gave the cause of death as a stab wound to the chest.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the incident room on 0208 345 1570 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. On Tuesday a neighbour described comforting Barry’s girlfriend immediately after the attack, which left the area outside her flat covered in blood.
“We heard noises and we came out and there was blood all over the first floor,” said Petronella Muzengi. “She came into our flat and said: ‘They’ve killed him, they’ve killed my boyfriend’. We tried to calm her down but she was in a terrible state. It was terrible, I was trying to comfort her but I was very scared.”
Muzengi, 50, said she had lived in the housing association block since it was built seven years ago, and it was the first time she had seen such violence at first hand.
“These little boys,they are just children.”
Edmonton, similar to other inner city boroughs, is trying to crack down on violent crime: Sunday’s killing was the third in 16 days. In separate incidents on 30 November, Khiry Ford, 23, was fatally stabbed in the chest by a hooded attacker during a street fight, while polish national Maciej Godlewski, 52, died after suffering head injuries during a fight.
Bricklands resident Dolly Mbaya, 32, said he was planning self-defence classes for his 10-year-old son.
“I’m scared for my own life and I’m scared for my son,” he said. “If I had been coming through the door at the same time, I know I would have been involved too.”
He said it was not uncommon for young people to carry weapons. “I grew up in that sort of environment but I would never have carried a knife, people who did were 20-25. Now they are kids. Whether it’s for protection or because they want to be gangster.”
Resident Loretta Gabriel, 50, said she had cancelled a party for her 16-year-old daughter’s birthday. “She was very, very scared; we all are.”
She said difficult economic times were contributing to youth violence. “We are living here with this, but the government don’t care about the poorer class. There is more poverty, more stress and we old people know how to cope with that but young ones don’t.”