Forced out of the home he loved into a life of hiding: How ‘gentle, friendly’ ex-RAC man, 79, was driven from the estate where he’d lived for 42 years fearing for his life by backlash after he ‘lawfully killed’ a traveller burglar who raided his house
- Richard Osborn-Brooks had lived with his wife Maureen in Hither Green for years
- He was described as a ‘traditional Englishman’ and ‘as nice as pie’ by neighbours
- Burglar Henry Vincent raided the couple’s terraced home almost a year ago
- After the burglary the life of Mr and Mrs Osborn-Brooks would never be the same
Retired RAC boss Richard Osborn-Brooks had lived with his wife Maureen on a suburban street in Hither Green for 42 years.
Despite being a key member of the community, he and his wife were driven out after he ‘lawfully killed’ burglar Henry Vincent who raided their home.
He was described as a ‘traditional Englishman’ and was popular among neighbours after contributing towards a scheme to reduce burglary in the area.
The couple’s peaceful retirement came crashing down around them on a night in April last year.
They were asleep upstairs in their £500,000 home when two men broke in.
Richard Osborn-Brooks, 79, (pictured) knifed career criminal Henry Vincent, 32, after he caught him breaking into his home in South Park Crescent, Hither Green, on April 4 last year
Mr Osborn-Brooks was woken in the early hours of April 4 by two men breaking into the 1920s terraced house in Hither Green
When Mr Osborn-Brooks went downstairs to see what was happening, he was shoved into his kitchen while the men went upstairs where Maureen, said to suffer from dementia, was alone.
A coroner heard yesterday that a struggle ensued in which burglar Henry Vincent suffered stab wounds from which he later died.
The life of Mr and Mrs Osborn-Brooks would never be the same.
In the following weeks, they were caught up in whirlwind as the clan of the career criminal who died threatened reprisals. Associates of Vincent came to street and made shrines to him from flowers, pictures, cards and balloons.
Mr and Mrs Osborn-Brooks quickly moved out of the home over fears of revenge attacks and removal men later arrived to collect all the belongings they had collected during their four decades in the property.
Close friends said they had reluctantly accepted that they will have to sell the home.
Henry Vincent died from a stab wound inflicted by pensioner Richard Osborn-Brooks
Tony Guest, who worked with Mr Osborn-Brooks in the 1970s at the offices of the RAC in Croydon, said he was an office manager in the membership department, but had been ‘more of a friend than a boss’.
‘He was gentle and very intelligent, probably too intelligent for the job he was doing then,’ he added. ‘He was never rowing or shouting at people. He was a very calm person. He used to play chess, he always liked his games.’
Pictures of Mr Osborn-Brooks suggested he enjoyed games and puzzles such as solitaire, as well as socialising with friends.
Neighbour Nick Myatt said at the time of the incident: ‘He’s a lovely old man and he cares for his wife who I think has dementia or is disabled. He’s a nice man, nice to talk to.’
Another said he was seen popping to the shops once a week but kept himself to himself and was ‘as nice as pie’.
Speaking last year, a friend said: ‘It’s not safe. He’s got what happened that night on his conscience for the rest of his life. He’s never going to forget that he’s killed someone. He’s not a violent person. He’s a really nice run of the mill guy.’
The case sparked a row over the rights of people to protect themselves in their own homes.
Local Neighbourhood Watch member Sylbourne Sydial said: ‘A man should be able to defend his home. It’s not as if to say he had a cutlass or a machete or a knife. Your home is your castle and I believe your neighbourhood is your kingdom.’
In a notorious previous case, Norfolk farmer Tony Martin was jailed for life for murder after shooting a 16-year-old burglar in the back at his home in 1999.
Since then ministers have toughened up protection for householders. In England and Wales they can use ‘disproportionate force’ to challenge an intruder in their home, which could include the use of lethal force.
In the aftermath of the Hither Green incident, the man who led the campaign to free Mr Martin from jail said it was ‘disgusting’ that Mr Osborn-Brooks was questioned by police.
Malcolm Starr said: ‘First he’s hustled by two men into his kitchen where he fights for his life and then he finds himself facing a murder charge. It’s just not right. What happened to the premise that an Englishman’s home is his castle?’