44-year-old man in custody after the stabbing of man on mobility scooter
Thomas O'Halloran was a well-known and popular member of the local community
A 44-year-old man has been arrested in Southall on suspicion of murder by police officers investigating the stabbing of 87-year-old Thomas O’Halloran.
The man was detained in the early hours of Thursday (18 August), the day after police released a CCTV image of a suspect they wished to speak to in connection with the stabbing.
Detective Chief Inspector Jim Eastwood, who leads the investigation said, “I would like to thank the public for their overwhelming support following this horrific incident. As a result of the release of a CCTV image yesterday, an arrest has been made and this investigation is progressing at pace.
“Mr O’Halloran’s family have been updated with this development and continue to be supported by specially trained officers. I would reiterate their previous request that their privacy is respected by everyone as they continue to come to terms with their tragic loss.”
Mr O’Halloran was stabbed near the A40 Western Avenue shortly before 4.06pm on Tuesday, 16 August while riding on his mobility scooter. He managed to travel another 75 yards to Runnymede Gardens, at the junction with Cayton Road where he received assistance from a member of the public.
The emergency services were called, including a London’s Air Ambulance helicopter, but despite the efforts of paramedics he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Mr O’Halloran, who was a grandfather, was a well-known and popular member of the local community who was sometimes seen outside local train stations playing his accordion to raise funds for Ukrainian refugees.
I cannot believe I'm writing this
— The Reels (@The_Reels_uk) August 17, 2022
I met this wonderful man Thomas O'Halloran this June, playing tunes outside Tesco's in Perivale. He was 87 years of age!
This gentleman, was stabbed to death on his mobility scooter in broad daylight yesterday afternoon in Greenford!
R.I.P ?? pic.twitter.com/L1kJxVhyZ3
He was praised by his former MP Stephen Pound who knew him as a constituent.
In an interview on GB News, Mr Pound said, "It's my constituency and I live about half a mile away. Tom was a real local character. He would be outside Greenford station playing the accordion, occasionally the harmonica. He was a sweet, lovely man.
“Greenford is hurting about this. We had a fatal stabbing in Acton about two days ago, when a 58-year-old woman was killed by a younger person.
"Ealing is not a dangerous, dodgy place. It's not the wild west.
"Someone like Thomas O'Halloran was a very Ealing person. He comes from the Irish community, which is very deep in our part of the world.
"The brutality, the cruelty and the evil of his death is really corrosive to us, and it will take us a while to recover."
Anyone with footage of the incident is asked to upload it using this online form.
If you have any other information about the murder, you are asked to call the incident room on 020 8358 0300 quoting 4691/16AUG.
Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, by calling 0800 555 111 or by visiting www.crimestoppers-uk.org.
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August 25, 2022
