Man stabbed to death in Oxford Street shop in London

[Exeter]

By Richard Edwards, Crime Correspondent
Last Updated: 7:26PM BST 12/05/2008

A man has been stabbed to death after an apparent dispute in a shop on Oxford Street in London.

One witness claimed the victim was a security guard who was attacked by two youths he had previously thrown out of a store on Britain’s busiest shopping street.

Hundreds of shoppers watched on as the 22-year-old man was treated by emergency crews after collapsing near McDonald’s, close to Oxford Circus.

The witness, who did not want to be named, said: “I just heard the screaming and then saw a couple of black guys run past us.

“Someone told me later on it was one of the security guards that works in a sports shop down the road. He had kicked these guys out of the shop and they had attacked him.

“Then the ambulance arrived. It looked very serious. I just wonder if he’s married and he has a wife who is expecting him home.”

The man was taken to St Thomas’ Hospital in central London where he was pronounced dead.

Police have launched a murder inquiry. The area is covered heavily by CCTV and detectives will be seizing footage to trace the movements of the suspects and see whether the incident was caught on camera.

The street was sealed off by police. It is believed the attack happened around 100 yards from Oxford Circus underground station going towards the Centre Point building.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “Police were alerted at 4:47pm on Monday to a man stabbed outside McDonald’s in Oxford Street, near to Oxford Circus.

“A man - who was black and in his early 20s - was stabbed. We await identification.

“An incident room will open under detectives from the Homicide and Serious Crime Command. A post mortem will be scheduled in due course.”

A London Ambulance Service spokesman said: “We were called to Oxford Street at approximately 4.45pm to reports of a stabbing.

“We sent two ambulances and two fast response cars. The first unit was on the scene within five minutes and began treatment on a man.

“He went into cardiac arrest at the scene and was taken to hospital.”

Man stabbed to death in Oxford Street shop in London - Telegraph

[BeornWulfWer]

This was just a rare occurrence. Everything is fine.

Keep on with your lives. The authorities will protect you.

[Aptrgangr]

Man stabbed to death in Oxford Street was on bail for horrific acid gang rape

Last updated at 17:25 14 May 2008

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Murdered: Steven Bigby was on bail awaiting trial for rape

The man stabbed to death in front of shoppers in Oxford Street was on bail for a gang rape and another stabbing, it was revealed today.
Steven Bigby, 22, had been charged with raping a 16-year-old girl who had caustic soda poured over her body to destroy DNA evidence.
He was also charged with another attack in which a man was knifed in a gang fight.

Bigby was stabbed in the chest in front of hundreds of shoppers and commuters outside a McDonald's restaurant near Oxford Circus station at about 4.45pm on Monday.
He had been charged in January, along with nine others, over the rape of a girl at a house in Tottenham, North London. She suffered terrible burns from the drain cleaning fluid and at one point it was feared she would die.
Bigby - a member of the north London gang "Tugs From Around" - was tagged after being freed on bail on the rape charge last week. He was awaiting trial.

Detectives say they believe the attack in Oxford Street was a "spontaneous" incident sparked after Bigby threw a cup of water over four men outside the McDonald's.
However, they are also investigating the possibility that he was targeted by a rival gang in retaliation for the rape or the gang attack.


Shocking: Stunned shoppers watched as paramedics tried to save the victim's life after the Oxford Street attack

Police said they were looking for four men involved in the assault seen walking up and down Oxford Street before the stabbing.
The decision to free Bigby on bail after the rape charge came six months after he was bailed for the gang knifing.
He was charged with grievous bodily harm and violent disorder over the 2006 stabbing of the man in Southgate.
It has also emerged that a 17-year-old boy living next door to Bigby's mother was also stabbed hours after the Oxford Street killing.
He was attacked in Dalston, East London, at 8pm on Monday but it is unclear if it was a related incident.

Police said yesterday that they believed Bigby was the first person to be killed in Oxford Street, one of Europe's busiest shopping streets.
Two passing doctors gave him immediate treatment before he was taken to hospital, where he died shortly after arrival.
Police are studying CCTV images of the attack and pictures of the four men as they ran from the scene.
Detectives are appealing for any tourists who may have taken photographs to contact them.


Evidence: A bloody knife found lying on the street 50 metres away could be the murder weapon

Acting Detective Chief Inspector Bob Mahoney said that Bigby was stabbed with a "bog standard, normal, horrible knife you shove in your pocket".
The knife was discarded a few yards from the attack.
He added: "At the moment we understand four men were walking up and down Oxford Street during the afternoon, they were described as promenading.
"At around 4.45pm they got into an altercation with three people, including Steven. The incident lasted one, maybe two minutes, and the four men ran away towards the Tube but we don't know where they went from there."
A post-mortem examination has confirmed that Bigby died from a single stab wound to the heart.
Two men, aged 18 and 19, were arrested last night in connection with the killing. They were being questioned today at an east London police station.

Police are to use hundreds of airport-style hand-held weapon detectors in the crackdown on knife crime.
Teams of 15 officers will be deployed across the 10 boroughs in London that have recorded the most knife crime.
Metropolitan Police Authority member Peter Herbert said it will lead to more stop-and-search cases.

Man stabbed to death in Oxford Street was on bail for horrific acid gang rape | Mail Online

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