London’s latest murder victim, who begged to see his wife after he was stabbed outside a pub in a leafy London suburb, has been named as a 69-year-old grandfather-of-four and part-time jazz singer.
Named locally as Allan Isichei, who is also a father-of-three and husband for 44 years to wife Sandra, was pronounced dead at the scene in Southall, north-west London, after he was knifed as he walked back from the pub near his £750,000 home yesterday evening.
He collapsed on his neighbours doorstep at around 6.30pm after he was stabbed twice in his chest and sides.
A suspect has been arrested and is in hospital with minor injuries and is also under police guard.
London’s latest murder victim begged to see his wife after he was stabbed while leaving a pub in a leafy suburb, according to witnesses. A police cordon is still in place this morning where the attack happened in Southall, north-west London
Police have arrested a suspect after the victim, a man in his 60s, died from his wounds. (Pictured: A police cordon was still in place this morning around the area where the murder took place)
A suspect has been arrested after the victim, a man in his 60s, was was stabbed to death in Southall, north west London, on Saturday evening. Pictured: Forensic investigations on the scene
The alleged murderer is in hospital with minor injuries under a police guard as neighbours described the sexagenarian as a ‘very nice gentleman’
Neighbours have described Mr Isichei as a keen rugby fan who was friends with former England and British Lions international man Roger Uttley.
They also said he had a keen interest in music, playing a saxophone with a band, and was also a part-time coach with Wasps Rugby Club.
He was also the managing director of family business Broadway Construction, based in Ealing, west London, which was founded in 1974.
Resident Kevneet Grover, 15, said he was getting ready for his father’s 41st birthday when Mr Isichei collapsed on their doorstep.
The teenager, who lives three doors down from Mr Isichei, said: ‘It was my dad’s 41st birthday.
‘I was coming down the stairs and the doorbell was going on and off constantly.
‘I thought it was my cousins, but it was a man who was injured and he said ‘call an ambulance.’
‘He was holding onto the side of the door and when I opened it, he collapsed in front of the door and I shouted ‘dad come dow stairs, come downstairs.”
Scotland Yard said police were called at about 6.41pm and the victim was treated by paramedics and air ambulance crews, but died at the scene
A police cordon remains in place in the leafy west London surburb
Kevneet’s father Raj Grover ran to the doorway to help Mr Isichei and called out to his wife for a towel.
Mr Grover, director of Galaxy Real Estate, said: ‘I came downstairs and I saw the blood all over his body. It all happened on our doorstep.
‘I asked my wife to bring a towel and I started to stop the blood and the bleeding, but I did not realise there was a second hole.
‘He was stabbed twice – there was one on the right hand side below his chest and one on his side.
‘He was trying to go to his house, but couldn’t make it anymore so he came to us.
‘My wife called an ambulance and they took about ten minutes to arrive.
‘I asked him a few times ‘who did that Alan? What happened?’
‘But he said ‘dont ask me these questions, call my wife because I’m losing it.’
‘I quickly ran to his house and called his wife. I said ‘darling don’t panic, your husband is bleeding a little bit.’
‘I didn’t say there had been a stabbing – I didn’t want to panic her. Then I held her hand and walked her over to him.
‘Her husband kept saying to his wife ‘come closer to me, come closer to me’ as he was laying on the floor and I was pressing the towel to his chest.
‘The blood just kept on pouring out.’
A helicopter from London air ambulance landed in nearby Norwood Green to come to the scene near the Plough pub on Tentelow Lane
A helicopter from London air ambulance landed in nearby Norwood Green to come to the scene near the Plough Inn pub on Tentelow Lane
Mr Grover said the victim suffered one stab wound to the right of his lower chest and another on the right hand side of his lower back.
He added: ‘The wife was saying to him ‘it will be okay, don’t worry everything will be fine.’ She just kept saying that to him.
‘The next door neighbour was helping to hold his legs up as he laid on his back.
‘We did our best, but unfortunately we lost him.
‘He was a very strong man, he was 69 but he looked as though he were in his 50s and he was a builder.’
Me Grover said he was surprised when paramedics arrived and asked Mr Isichei to stand up.
‘The paramedics said ‘can you please stand up’ but he couldn’t stand up so I held him again.
‘Then the paramedics held his hand and put him onto a stretcher.’
Scotland Yard said police were called at about 6.41pm and the victim was treated by paramedics and air ambulance crews, but died at the scene.
Mr Grover, who runs a local property business, said that as they waited for emergency services, the man told him: ‘Just call my wife.’
He remained with the victim for about 30 to 40 minutes before leaving to go to his party, after emergency services took over.
Mr Grover said he knew the man as a neighbour who would regularly walk by and say hello when they met.
‘Last year the same thing happened, next to the street,’ he said, referring to a separate incident in the area. ‘It was my friend being shot with four bullets.’
He said his friend made a full recovery, but later moved to Dubai.
A cordon remained in place around the street late on Saturday night, and police said inquiries were ongoing.
A helicopter from London air ambulance landed in nearby Norwood Green to come to the scene near the Plough Inn pub on Tentelow Lane.
Pictured: The locations at which murder investigations have been sparked in London since the start of the year
It’s the second tragedy in a week for the west London suburb, after Brit Amitpal Singh Bajaj, 34, from Southall was choked to death in Thailand while celebrating his 10 year wedding anniversary.
There have been 90 killings in London already this year.
The stabbing comes just a week after a teenager who was knifed to death in another week of bloodshed in London was attacked over a £10 debt.
Solomon Small, 18, was fatally stabbed in Brixton, south London, at 2pm on August 15 – marking the 91st murder in the capital this year and 16th teenage victim.
The murder happened in St Mary’s Avenue in Southall (pictured), a leafy surburb of north west London
Horrified witnesses told how the attacker bumped fists with Mr Small before cutting his throat and chest in front of a woman.
Writing in the Mail On Sunday earlier this month, Prime Minster Boris Johnson vowed to tackle the record high knife crime in the city where he use to lead as mayor.
‘We have knife-related homicides running at their highest level since 1946’ he said.
‘We have seen a 34 per cent increase in stabbings of young people in the past five years, an 82 per cent rise in knife crime in that time, and in the past few days we have seen a brave police officer endure a frenzied attack in East London by a man armed with a foot-long machete.
‘We have the impression of a growing culture of insolence on the part of the thugs; and in the face of that sense of impunity – entirely misplaced – I believe the British public knows instinctively what we must do’ he added.