Ealing riot: 68 year old man dies after attack

[dutchman]

A 68-year-old man who was critically injured as he tried he tried to stamp out a fire during riots in west London has died, Scotland Yard has said.



Richard Mannington Bowes suffered head injuries in an attack in Ealing on Monday night and was left in a coma.

Police have launched a murder inquiry and issued a CCTV image of a suspect.

Mr Bowes, of Haven Green, Ealing, is believed to have been attacked after remonstrating with some teenagers who were setting fire to two industrial bins on Spring Bridge Road.

Police officers were then pelted with missiles as they came to his aid.

Det Ch Insp McFarlane said: "This was a brutal incident that resulted in the senseless killing of an innocent man.

"I still need the assistance of the community who may have witnessed the attack on Richard, to come forward and provide information or images they may have recorded on mobile devices. This information could be crucial in catching his killer."

A witness, who gave his name as Jim and owns Big Jim's Trims in Ealing, said rioters attacked Mr Bowes when he tried to put out a fire they had started in a supermarket bin near the Arcadia shopping centre.

Jim, 40, who owns hairdressing shops on The Green and Devonshire Road, said: "I went up to Spring Bridge Road to check on my other shop and saw him on the ground.

"The rioters had set a bin alight and then they jumped on him when he tried to put it out."


Mr McFarlane said the examination of CCTV footage had provided police with a "strong suspect".

"I know that on seeing these images of him people will be able to identify him.

"He had been in close proximity to the attack, recording the events on a mobile device.

"If you are the suspect in the CCTV, do the decent thing and give yourself up."

'Terrible price'

Speaking on Thursday, when Mr Bowes was in a critical condition, his sister Anne Wilderspin, 73, from Derbyshire, said: "It was sort of unreal because you don't think anything like that happens to a relative of yours.

"I mean we've been horrified by the reports of the riots and what's been going on.

"It was a shock and it's still a bit unreal in a way."

She had been hoping to be reunited with Mr Bowes, whom she had not seen for 30 years.

She said she was travelling to London to see her brother, who gave her away at her wedding. It is not known if she saw him before he died.

Also speaking on Thursday, Mayor of London Boris Johnson paid tribute to him: "There are many villains in this story but also many heroes and I want to pay particular tribute to Mr Bowes.

"But he has paid a terrible price. I am desperately sorry for him and his family."

[rebbonk]

[dutchman]

A 16-year-old boy has been charged with murdering a man during riots in London.

Richard Mannington Bowes, 68, died three days after being attacked as he tried to stamp out a fire in Ealing, west London, on 8 August.

The boy, who cannot be named, has also been charged with violent disorder and four counts of burglary.

His mother has been charged with perverting the course of justice and both are due to appear in courts in Croydon on Tuesday.

The boy will appear at Croydon Youth Court while his mother is due at the magistrates' court.

A 22-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murdering Mr Bowes has been bailed.

Memorial fund

Daren Streeter, head of the CPS London Homicide Unit, said: "The CPS has this evening authorised that a 16-year-old male should be charged with the murder of Richard Mannington Bowes.

"As with all prosecutions, we will keep the case against the defendant under review and consider any new evidence provided to us by the police during their ongoing investigation into this incident."

Mr Bowes, of Haven Green, Ealing, died of head injuries on 11 August, a post-mortem examination revealed.

The Richard Mannington Bowes Relief Fund has been set up to help people living in the area who were affected by the riots.