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Great-grandmother stabbed 16 times by intruder
A great-grandmother murdered by intruders who stole her cash and jewellery was stabbed at least 16 times, police said yesterday.
Irene Barrett, 88, was “savagely beaten” by attackers who forced their way into her 15th floor flat early on Saturday morning.The killers ransacked her flat removing rings and cash from her dead body before leaving her cold in her tower block home in Charlton, south east London.
Mrs Barrett, a retired secretary at London’s Cutty Sark, was found by carers at 9.30am with stab wounds all over her body.
Yesterday detectives described the murder of Irene, who used to knit clothes for children in the block, as “shocking and chilling”.
Det Chief Insp Cliff Lyons – investigating the murder – said: “Irene received a severe beating from her attackers.
“They got to the 15th floor flat and there is clear evidence of a break in.
“She was brutally beaten and received multiple stab wounds all over body that this is one of the most violent murders.
“This is an extremely disturbing and shocking attack on an elderly person because she was murdered in such a vicious and savage way.
“Jewellery including rings were removed from her person and from her property.
“It is a murder that is truly sickening and violent.
“The post mortem is still being conducted but at this time we have found over 16 stab wounds already. She has stab wounds all over her body.”
He revealed that despite recovering a number of weapons from around the tower block, police are still on the hunt for the murder weapon.
Mrs Barrett, who had six children and six grandchildren, had lived alone in her flat overlooking Charlton Athletic Football Club’s The Valley stadium ever since her husband died 20 years ago.
Stunned neighbours told how Irene, who used a Zimmer frame, had been housebound for almost a year and only left her flat to get exercises in the 15th floor hallway.
DCI Lyons insisted police are still hunting Irene’s killers.
On Saturday, police arrested a 34-year-old man – believed to have lived on the third floor of the tower block – on suspicion of murder.
I read a neighbour says she heard screams but did nothing thinking it wasn`t anything. I cannot beleive people heard a disturbance and didn`t check it out, actually scrub that I can, people do don`t they? Turn the other way or ignore stuff, why? Fear? Not wanting to get involved?
We`re not talking about an attack in a secluded area, she was killed in her home in a block of flats, for pitys sake what happened to love thy neighbour and looking out for people?
Not like she could have even really fought back, whoever did this is sick twisted and evil.
While these attackers deserve to die and I wouldn’t weep any tears over them if they met a nasty end, I remain opposed to capital punishment because if it were re-introduced, sooner or later there would be a miscarriage of justice leading to an innocent person being executed.
Prison sentences for murderers and other violent criminals should be harsher though – solitary confinement with very few activities – no TV, books or anything. They should not be considered for release on licence for at least 20 years, rather than 15 years as at present. Judges should also have more power to sentence murderers for terms longer than the standard 30 year tarriff.
The crucial thing here is that if someone is wrongly convicted the situation can be partly rectified, as has happened in several cases in recent years. Sure, they will have lost a chunk of their life and might seek compensation, but in the end they get their life back. They also live to see their name cleared.
I also agree that these people are evil. Not sick. not ill. Not misunderstood. Just evil.
However, I cant, in conscience , agree with the death penalty. No matter how much I hate scum who do stuff like this, the possibility of even one innocent person being wrongly executed is just too high.
My own solution would be that life in prison should be life. Natural life. No parole, no remittance. Furthermore, i believe that prisons should be more like they are in USA. They should be prisons, not home from homes. I am not talking about stalags or ” hell holes” but nevertheless, real prisons. 22 hours a day in a 12 fit by 12 foot concrete cage.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/8689135.stm
Both of these stories when I read them made me feel so sad. It seem we really do live in a very broken society, where no one cares anymore. The police have said that they hadn’t received any complaints regarding anti-social behaviour, whats the point!, they never do anything anyway, or they tell people they have to keep a diary of events before they can take any action, and what are the police doing in the meantime, oh yea! playing pool I expect, who the hell are we to think we can disturb them by calling and asking for help!
I live in sheltered accomodation myself, on the whole, its ok, fairly quiet. There have been occasions though, more when I was driving, that i’d spoken to a child about being careful playing in the car park, only to be met with a mouthful pf abuse. Now I dont bother, I no longer drive anyway, but if theyre playing in the car park and a car comes in too fast and hits them, tough! shouldnt be there in the first place.
How many of us though, have seen the situation of a mum with one, two or maybe 3 kid,
at rhe shops, and she’s screaming abuse at them, calling them every name imaginable, and then we wonder why so many kids have such foul mouths,,,their mumsespecially!!! :roll: .Ok how about we sentence them to wrestle a hungry lion, or swim the Atlantic without a support boat, something like that.
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