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| Cops hunt for clues in block
killing |
Two murders in six months
TENANTS of a West Hampstead tower block were reeling this week
after it suffered its second murder in six months.
The stabbed body of Paul Wharton, 37, was found in his flat on the
seventh floor of Casterbridge in Abbey Road (pictured) by police
late last Wednesday, after neighbours complained about a foul smell.
Mr Wharton, described as a ‘loner’ by others in the block,
is understood to have lived in the flat for several years.
He was finally named by police yesterday, after they struggled to
track down his next of kin.
Forensic officers continued the clue hunt over the weekend as Scotland
Yard officers confirmed they had launched a murder probe.
The death comes six months after drinker Michael Mitchell, 40, was
killed in the block.
Christopher Maddocks, 44, of nearby St John’s Wood, faces a
trial for his murder at the Old Bailey later this year.
Many tenants of the Camden Council block were unaware of the second
murder on Thursday morning, as police searched bins in Abbey Road
and Belsize Road.
A seventh-floor neighbour, who asked not to be named, said she believed
the murdered man had been unemployed, adding: “He kept himself
to himself.
The neighbour said: “There was another murder here just a while
ago and it is getting really worrying.”
A post mortem showed stabbed wounds were the cause of death, an
inquest opening at St Pancras Coroner’s Court heard yesterday.
The murder follows concerns about vulnerable tenants being placed
in Camden’s tower blocks.
Pensioner Irene Linnane died in a blaze at her 12th-floor Newton
Street, Holborn flat after lighting a candle for Pope John Paul’s
funeral in April.
And tenants of Bacton tower in Gospel Oak have warned about fire
and security fears after a series of blazes caused by vulnerable
tenants.
A Town Hall press official said: “The estate is managed for
the council by the Abbey Road Housing Co-Op, but they have made
themselves available to any tenants who have concerns.” |
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Give power to the people
POST-war, early 1950s Britain was still experiencing food rationing
and was a disillusioning place for English gourmands. The war had
destroyed the restaurant trade and, with few exceptions, post-war
eateries made the worst of a bad situation.
FULL STORY
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