Newsagent worker is stabbed to death in a robbery as he opened his shop in 'safe' Pinner and six more people are knifed in yet another night of bloodshed in London

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A murder investigation is under way after a shop worker was stabbed to death during a robbery at a newsagent's in north-west London.

The 54-year-old man is believed to have been attacked as he opened Marsh Food and Wine in Pinner, near Harrow, on Sunday morning.   

The victim was pronounced dead at the scene and police said inquiries were under way to identify the man and his next of kin.

It comes amid another night of bloodshed in the capital with six more people stabbed as the number of homicides in London reached 29 this year.

A murder investigation is under way after a shop worker was stabbed to death during a robbery at a newsagent's in north-west London, police said. (Pictured, the scene today)

A large section of Marsh Road has been cordoned off. The scene pictured today

It comes amid another night of bloodshed in the capital with six more people stabbed

Officers were called to the scene in Marsh Road at around 6am but the victim was pronounced dead about 45 minutes later.

Scotland Yard said the shop's till was stolen and may have been discarded by the suspect, while detectives are appealing for witnesses who saw a black Vauxhall Astra driven away at speed immediately after the stabbing. 

No arrests have been made and detectives from the Homicide and Major Crime Command have been informed. 

A large section of Marsh Road has been cordoned off and a police forensics tent erected outside Marsh Food and Wine and a Costa Coffee outlet.

Local business owner Peter Brook, 55, who lives nearby, said: 'When someone actually violates your community, people will be shocked.'

He said there were a few employees from the newsagent's who delivered the morning papers to local businesses, all of whom he said are 'kind, polite and so committed to working in the local community'.

Mr Brook, who has lived in Pinner for nearly two decades, added: 'People sometimes don't appreciate the people who come out at 5am to deliver a service to the local community. When people like that are murdered going about their job it's such a tragedy.'

The man is believed to have been attacked as he opened Marsh Food and Wine in Pinner (pictured) on Sunday morning

Police activity in Marsh Road, Pinner, north-west London, today after the stabbing on Sunday

The victim was pronounced dead at the scene and police said enquiries were under way to identify the man and his next of kin

Officers were called to the scene in Marsh Road at around 6am but the victim was pronounced dead about 45 minutes later

Scotland Yard said the shop's till was stolen and may have been discarded by the suspect, while detectives are appealing for witnesses who saw a black Vauxhall Astra driven away at speed immediately after the stabbing

Norman Stevenson, a Conservative councillor for Pinner, said: 'I am shocked to hear what's happened here this morning. Pinner is a fairly prosperous, leafy suburb. 

'A very safe part of the world. It's a real shock this has happened. There are only rumours at the moment about who the victim is. I have just been asking the police but they can't release any information.

'It's very unfortunate. We wouldn't expect it to happen. We don't expect this to happen in a typical leafy suburb.' 

One resident described Pinner as 'lovely' but said she was not shocked by the news as such incidents are 'happening in all areas'.

Mary MacNamara, who has lived in the area for four years, said: 'We all see what's going on generally and it (such crime) seems to be happening in all areas. 

Scotland Yard said officers were called to reports of an injured man at an address in Marsh Road (pictured), Pinner, at around 6am on Sunday 

Police forensic officers scour the scene on Marsh Road, Pinner, where a man was stabbed to death at a newsagents

'It's happening every day. Nobody does anything about it. The Government are doing nothing about it. All they do is fight about Brexit.' 

Local MP Nick Hurd said police are making house-to-house inquiries. 

He tweeted: 'Deeply saddened to hear of a fatal stabbing in Marsh Road #Pinner earlier this morning. Area cordoned off; police conducting house to house inquiries and reassurance patrols.' 

Detective Chief Inspector Simon Stancombe said: 'I am appealing to anyone who was in the area around Marsh Lane this morning and saw anything of interest to contact police.

'This was a violent robbery that has escalated, resulting in the murder of a man.

'It appears the till was stolen from the shop during this robbery and this may have been discarded by the suspect. If you have come across this, we want to hear from you.

Local MP Nick Hurd said police  (pictured) are making house-to-house inquiries

Police activity in Marsh Road, Pinner, north-west London, after a man died following a stabbing incident

'I am particularly keen to hear from anyone who saw a black Vauxhall Astra that was driven away at speed south down Cecil Park immediately after the attack.

'We think that car was parked in Cecil Park prior to the murder - if you saw this, or have any other information that could help us progress this investigation, I would urge you to get in contact.'

Police are asking anyone with information to call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111. 

A post-mortem examination will be scheduled in due course.

Police arrest eight people after a man 'in his 30s' was stabbed to death following a 'disturbance' on a leafy suburban road 

Six men and two women have been arrested after a man was stabbed to death during a 'disturbance' on a leafy suburban street, police have said.

Avon and Somerset Police have launched a murder investigation following the death of the man, aged in his 30s.

The force received a report of a disturbance at a property on Merlin Drive in Wells, Somerset, involving a number of people at 4.25pm on Saturday.

One of the men died of his injuries at the scene and his next of kin have been informed.

Avon and Somerset Police received a report of a disturbance at a property on Merlin Drive in Wells, Somerset, (pictured today) involving a number of people at 4.25pm on Saturday

The injuries sustained by the other man, also in his 30s, are not life threatening or life changing but he remains in hospital for medical treatment.

A force spokesman said: 'Armed officers were deployed to the scene and assisted their patrol colleagues with carrying out a number of arrests.

'The police helicopter was also used in the operation.

'In total, six men and two women, all from the Somerset area, were detained in connection with the incident and currently remain in police custody.'

A post-mortem examination of the man who died and formal identification will be arranged 'in due course', he said.

Officers attended the scene and found two men with knife wounds on nearby Wookey Hole Road. One of the men died of his injuries . The scene is pictured today 

Specially trained officers will be providing support to the man's family.

Detective Inspector Alistair Hammett, senior investigating officer, said a full investigation was being carried out into the 'very tragic incident'.

'I appreciate this incident will shock local residents and we are increasing patrols in the area to provide reassurance,' he said.

'At this stage, we believe this to be an isolated incident involving people known to each other.

'A large cordon is in place around the Merlin Drive area and there will be a continuing police presence at the scene for some time while we carry out our enquiries.'

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call 101 giving the log 760 of March 25, or anonymously through Crimestoppers.

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The stabbing is the 29th to be classed as a homicide in London so far this year.

On Friday night, a 17-year-old boy was stabbed to death outside a block of flats.

Police arrived just after 10.30pm to reports of a fight and found a teenage boy dying in the street.

Paramedics battled in vain and the teen was pronounced dead at the scene in Isleworth, west London.

Another murder investigation has been launched and no arrests have yet been made. 

Earlier this month, Nathaniel Armstrong, the cousin of Good Morning Britain weatherman Alex Beresford, was knifed to death in Fulham.

He was murdered outside a property on the same street that Crimewatch presenter Jill Dando was shot dead outside her home 20 years ago. 

Jodie Chesney, in Harold Hill, east London, and Yousef Makki, in Greater Manchester, both 17, were stabbed to death during one violence-filled weekend earlier this month.

It comes as Chancellor Philip Hammond has announced a £100million funding package to tackle Britain's knife crime crisis. 

Butchered for a wrong look: Azaan had never met the boys who killed him until a chance encounter ended in mayhem. But, as a chilling TV film reveals, that's just the reality of Knife Crime Britain

By Amy Oliver for The Mail on Sunday

It is broad daylight early on a Sunday afternoon and, just as in any other shopping centre up and down the country, The Mall in Luton is packed with families dragging bored children in and out of chain stores.

Suddenly, shouts and piercing screams erupt, the crowd parts and three teenagers start slashing at one another with knives, including a terrifying 18in machete.

Two run off – one of them wounded – as the third boy collapses to the ground with a terrible injury, blood spurting scarlet on to the polished marble floor. By the time security guards arrive at the scene, his life is ebbing away. 

Scroll down for video 

It was nothing more than a 'wrong' look that led to the senseless death of 18-year Azaan John Kaleem – the second violent episode at the heart of tomorrow's documentary

Outnumbered: CCTV shows gang surrounding Azaan and his girlfriend

As one guard tries to stem the flow from a massive gash in the 17-year-old's thigh, he pleads with the boy: 'Hold my hand and keep your eyes open.'

These horrific scenes, caught on CCTV, are a devastating depiction of Knife Crime Britain – a tide of violence rolling across towns and cities across the country. 

In Luton, many miles from London's knife crime hotspots such as Islington or Tottenham, cases of stabbings have almost doubled over the last five years.

And no region is immune, with national crime statistics showing 40,000 blade-related incidents across the country in the year to September 2018.

Even this disturbing figure probably understates the total.

Brutal: Azaan is attacked, despite the appearance of a bystander. Shannon runs to escape

The terrifying trend is brought into sharp focus in tomorrow night's special edition of Channel 4's 24 Hours In Police Custody, in which TV cameras follow Bedfordshire detectives as they struggle to tackle a form of crime now so widespread it has become almost routine.

Tom Hamm is the detective sergeant who investigates the bloody Luton shopping centre knife fight.

He tells viewers: 'I'm tired of coming into work thinking, 'I wonder who is going to get stabbed today.' I've never known it in ten years to be as bad as it is now. If you were to equate it to a disease, this would be a national emergency.'

It was nothing more than a 'wrong' look that led to the senseless death of 18-year Azaan John Kaleem – the second violent episode at the heart of tomorrow's documentary. 

Azaan had never been in trouble with the police and wasn't even known to the four-man gang that killed him.

He'd been walking through Luton with his girlfriend, Shannon, when he made the mistake of exchanging looks with a boy on a bicycle on the other side of the street.

As Shannon explains it, the other boy put his hand inside his trousers as though to pull out a knife. Azaan reached towards his pocket to show he too was armed.

Felled: Azaan crumples on to the road, fatally wounded in the sustained attack

He had started carrying a knife for his own protection a year earlier after being badly beaten up – a terrible error.

The boy on the bike sped off and the incident appeared to have ended but minutes later CCTV cameras record a grey BMW pulling up alongside Azaan and his girlfriend. Even the police were shocked by the level of brutality that ensued.

Four boys emerge from the car and immediately set upon Azaan. One seems to punch him repeatedly – but is actually stabbing him, probably with a bladed knuckleduster he was later found to be carrying. 

Azaan is left lying in the road with multiple stab wounds to his back, chest and face, blood pouring out as the gang flee. He died of his injuries in hospital two days later.

His heartbroken mother, Roseann Taylor, told me about her teenage son's last moments.

'When they declared Azaan brain dead, curtains were pulled around and piece-by-piece they turned off equipment,' she said.

'They allowed me to stand behind him. I stroked his hair and told him I loved him. We waited for his heartbeat to stop.

Left to die: The thugs leave stricken Azaan as the bystander stays to offer help

'When I watched the CCTV and found out they didn't know Azaan, it reminded me of a pack of animals seeking out their prey.

'He was not a person, he was some 'thing' they wanted to attack.'

It was terrible twist of fate that Roseann had moved away from London to Luton when Azaan was a toddler. She believed Bedfordshire would be safer.

The men suspected of killing Azaan were identified thanks to a tip-off from a member of the public and were then rounded up by armed officers. 

All four were known to police and one, 19-year-old Reece Bliss-McGrath, driver of the BMW, is shown in the film telling an officer: 'When you're not wearing that badge, I'll slap that smile off your face.'

The interviews that follow are hard-going: three of the suspects – 18-year-old Rashaan Ellis, 19-year-old Callum Smith and 17-year-old Harrison Searle – answer 'no comment' to every question.

Ellis is said to be the main assailant, with the fearsome knuckle duster, but Smith is also accused of stabbing Azaan.

Bliss-McGrath is willing to talk, however, provided that the police can ensure his protection.

He tells detectives the four of them had been driving around in his newly purchased £2,500 BMW when Searle received a call from the boy on the bike to say Azaan had 'pulled a knife'.

They decided to 'go and do this', Bliss-McGrath explains, before telling officers that Ellis is 'the crazy one. He's nuts, he's hyped up. Like someone who takes coke'.

Flashpoint: Two of the knife-wielding youths, one brandishing a huge bladed weapon, square up in the shopping mall before one of them is stabbed

Bliss-McGrath believes the confession will allow him to walk free. After all, he didn't deliver any of the fatal blows. But he is deluded, and the cameras show his face turning ashen as he is charged with 'joint enterprise murder' alongside the other three.

As one of the detectives explains: 'With joint enterprise you don't have to be the person who did the stabbing. If you think you didn't play a part in it, it doesn't matter.'

The gang were jailed for a total of 63 years.

The two teenagers stabbed and wounded in the shopping centre knife fight are lucky – they have recovered. But now, they and the other youth involved are sitting in Luton police station, charged with affray and wounding with intent.

They show not the slightest sign of fear or concern. Slouching, bored on plastic chairs, anyone would think they'd been arrested for stealing a packet of crisps.

Che Stephens, 17, escaped without injury after stabbing Luca Sanni in the leg. Stephens is shown footage of the fight and asked how he feels when he sees Sanni collapse. He refuses to answer. Even Sanni sticks to 'no comment' despite the terrible wound he suffered, as does Imani Pobi Da Silva, 17, who was slashed.

DS Hamm says: 'The biggest obstacle we face in solving a lot of our stabbings is the reluctance of those involved to talk.

'It is definitely out there that if something happens, you don't tell the police. It's frustrating, tiring and demoralising. They're receiving some pretty serious injuries. Some of them are near death – and they don't want to be seen as a grass.'

Stephens, who instigated the fight, was jailed for seven-and-a-half years after admitting wounding with intent, Sanni, who produced the machete, was sentenced to five years and Imani Pobi Da Silva 12 months.

'Carrying a knife doesn't make you safer. It's either going to make you a criminal or a victim,' the detective says.

'But to go from a dirty look to dying is ridiculous. It just doesn't make any sense.'

Terrifying: CCTV shows the bloody aftermath of the knife fight in the mall in front of horrified Sunday shoppers

Meanwhile, the brutal manner of Azaan John Kaleem's death continues to haunt his mother.

She tells me: 'I didn't think [knife crime] was my problem because I didn't think my son would ever be engaged in it.

'I've never had the police come to the door, he's never been in trouble. He's just an average 18-year-old.

'He's not a threat to anybody and certainly wouldn't harm anyone. I just want to know why.

'Watching your child be murdered over and over again on CCTV during the court case was just gut-wrenching. I still play it over and over in my head. I feel like I've failed. At the very last moment I wasn't there for him.

'I'd do everything to hear him call me Mum again. The reality is, that will never happen.'

She now goes into schools to talk to children about the dangers of carrying knives but says that much, much more is needed – from everyone in society.

'We all need to play a part, from the Government to the people who allow knives to be delivered through the letterbox, to the witnesses and man on the street who doesn't go to help when they see someone being attacked,' she says.

'The younger generation has this energy but have nowhere to put it. Everything is disposable – even life.'

24 Hours In Police Custody airs tonight at 9pm on Channel 4.