Andrew Gibb Memorial vandalised
August 28, 2010 by Rob Powell
The Andrew Gibb Memorial in Blackheath at the junction of Maze Hill and Charlton Way has been struck by vandals.
The memorial, which is opposite the Greenwich Park war memorial and comprises of a water fountain under an impressive eight-sided shelter, was badly damaged in the attack which is believed to have happened sometime on Thursday night.
The stone obelisk has been smashed from its fixings on the fountain and then broken into pieces. I understand that although the panes of glass are smashed frequently, this may be the first time the obelisk has been so badly damaged since the £100,000 refurbishment in 2003.
The damage was spotted by local resident, Mr M Qavi, shortly after 1pm on Friday and quickly reported to the council. He told Greenwich.co.uk “that the Councillors and the Council Officials responded immediately by sending out a team to remove the stone ball and glass shards”.
Ward councillor, Alex Grant, visited the memorial to view the damage for himself on Friday afternoon.
Andrew Gibb was a local ship-repairer who lived at Garthlands in Westcombe Park, as well being a philanthropist and one of the first Aldermen of the Metropolitan Borough of Greenwich. According to the Greenwich Council website, he left £1,200 for the erection of a public water fountain when he died in 1908.
You can see how the Andrew Gibb Memorial looked before the vandalism here and here.
Three found guilty of bike shop robbery
July 9, 2010 by Kate Mead
A GANG of three robbers, whose ringleader threatened a shop manager that there would be ‘trouble’ if he didn’t show them where the safe was, were found guilty today.
Adrian Martin, 20, Samuel Morrison, 21, and Gavin Walters, 29, robbed £440 of takings from the Cycle Warehouse in Trafalgar Road, Greenwich, on January 12 this year.
A jury at Woolwich Crown Court found them all guilty of robbery after just two hours of deliberation.
Earlier the court heard from manager Matthew Munro how three hooded men with scarves covering their faces entered his shop at 5.45pm just as he had finished cashing up for the day.
Testifying behind a screen, he said one of them gestured to his hoodie pocket and demanded to be shown the safe.
He said: “[The first one] came behind the counter and grabbed me by the shirt and said ‘this is what’s going to happen’.
“He asked about the safe and I lied and said we don’t have a safe. I said that all we have is the £100 we took today that was in an envelope on the counter and he proceeded to pick it up.
“Then he said ‘I know there is a safe here, I don’t want there to be any trouble and he grabbed his hoodie pocket implying he had a weapon so I told him where the safe was.”
Mr Munro opened the safe for the robbers who took four days worth of takings that had been left in there, the court heard.
Police who were called by Mr Munro picked up the gang in a black VW Beetle within 10 minutes of the incident and found envelopes containing the takings from the shop in the car.
Martin of Fenwick Road, Peckham, Morrison of Boreman House, Thames Street, Greenwich and Walters of Courtney Hotel, Aldersbrook Road, Manor Park, East London, all denied robbery.
Sentencing was adjourned until August 6 for pre sentence reports.
Murderer gets life sentence
June 11, 2010 by Rob Powell
A man has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Greenwich pensioner, Edward Highwood.
Marcin Orlowski, 21, befriended the victim before going back to his home in Hollymount Close where he attacked and robbed him. Mr Highwood, 79, died from injuries caused to his head.
Orlowski was found guilty at the Old Bailey on Wednesday. Yesterday, Judge Richard Hawkins ordered that Orlowski serve a minimum of 23 years in prison.
Additional information via Press Association
Teenager dies in Greenwich shooting
April 23, 2010 by Rob Powell
A teenager died in the early hours of this morning after an incident apparently involving a gun in Greenwich.
Police were called out to an address in Park Mews, Calvert Road, just after 2am.
A man, believed to be 17 years old, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officers from the Homicide & Serious Crime Command are investigating and an incident room has been opened at Lewisham this morning.
Five people have already been arrested in connection with this incident and are currently in custody.
Man found guilty of town centre murder
April 20, 2010 by Rob Powell
A man was found guilty today of the murder of Paul Martin in Greenwich town centre.
Michael Bowden, 28, was found guilty of the unprovoked killing which took place in Greenwich Church Street in March 2009.
Mr Martin, aged 25, was a plumber from Blackheath and was the father of two children.
Bowden, who had been previously diagnosed as having bipolar disorder, is due to be sentenced for the crime on Wednesday.
Additional information from the Press Association
Reclaim your stolen jewellery at Precious Items Fair
January 13, 2010 by Rob Powell
The Metropolitan Police is holding a Precious Items Fair this Saturday to reunite local victims of robbery with their stolen jewellery.
The jewellery was all stolen from addresses in SE3 in a string of burglaries between January and September 2008.
Police say that the recovered items range from Tiffany necklaces, to broaches, bracelets, earrings, expensive pens and even include a trombone.
The items will be on display at the fair which is being held in the church hall of St Michaels’s and All Angels this coming Saturday (16th) between 1-6pm.
Sergeant Layne Strong, Blackheath Safer Neighbourhoods Team, said: “We are looking for people who live specifically in the SE3 area and that have been burgled between May and September 2008. Some of the items we have recovered are very unique and we would be delighted to give them back to their original owners. We know that some of those are very expensive but we are also aware that some of them might have high sentimental value. We would strongly encourage locals who have been burgled to attend the fair.”
Minister for London Hosts Crime Discussion in Kidbrooke
July 31, 2009 by Rob Powell
Minister for London, Tessa Jowell, visited the Samuel Montagu Youth Centre, SE3, on Tuesday to take part in a discussion about crime in the borough.
The meeting was attended by 60 young people from the area, Police, Councillors, Government Office for London staff, Youth Programmes Workers and Greenwich Area Youth Forum members. It formed part of a roadshow of events to highlight a new package of measures by the Government under the title “Building Britain’s Future“.
Tessa Jowell, said: “Building Britain’s Future is about talking to local people about the big issues facing the country today. It is about every part of government becoming more accountable and responsive to people’s needs in the current economic climate.
At yesterday’s event, local young people told me what more they think the Government should do to keep their neighbourhood safe. I will ensure that these views and ideas are heard by colleagues across central Government.”
Man Remanded Over Greenwich Murder
July 27, 2009 by Rob Powell
A 20 year old man has been charged with the murder of Greenwich pensioner, Edward Highwood. Mr Highwood, 79, was found murdered in his home in Hollymount Close just over a week ago. Head injuries were the cause of death and computer equipment had been taken from the property.
Marcin Orlowski, of no fixed address, was arrested in connection with the incident on Friday. Police charged him murder and earlier today he appeared before Sutton Magistrates’ Court who remanded him in custody until he faces trial.
Arrest Made Following Greenwich Murder
July 24, 2009 by Rob Powell
Detectives investigating the murder of Edward Highwood last weekend have today arrested a 20 year old man who is being questioned at a south London police station.
Police revealed earlier in the week that a 17″ Hewlett Packard computer monitor with silver-grey edging had been stolen from the victim’s Hollymount Close home and appealed for anyone who may have been offered the screen to come forward.
A post mortem on Mr Highwood, aged 79, confirmed that he died from injuries sustained to his head in the incident.
Police are still looking to get information from anyone who may have seen Edward Highwood or who saw anything suspicious in Hollymount Close – call the incident room on 020 8721 4054.
Greenwich Pensioner Found Murdered At Home
July 20, 2009 by Rob Powell
A 79 year old man from Greenwich was found dead at his home by police on Sunday. The man, identified as Edward Highwood, died from head injuries.
Police entered the pensioner’s home in Hollymount Close on Sunday to find him already dead. A murder investigation has been launched by Greenwich Police.
Det Insp Steve Warrilow said: “We must retain an open mind regarding motive and are trying to establish whether anything was stolen from the house.” .
Mr Highwood was last seen alive on Friday. Anyone with any information regarding this should contact Greenwich Police.
