Police say Dean Mayley's attackers were 'vicious cowards'

Police say a 24 year old man stabbed in Greenford on Friday suffered learning difficulties and was extremely vulnerable.

Dean Mayley from Northolt was attacked around 5.20pm on Friday on the Ruislip Road after getting off an E9 bus in The Broadway 50 minutes earlier.

Officers and London Ambulance Service attended and Dean was taken to St Mary's Hospital where he died later that evening.

Dean had microcephaly which led him to having moderate learning difficulties and a mental age of nine. His family said he was very vulnerable and easily led.

An incident room is open at Hendon under Detective Chief Inspector Matt Bonner from the Homicide and Major Crime Command. He said:

''Dean was a vulnerable young man who had travelled to the Greenford Broadway area to visit a relative. He had made the journey many times before without incident and there was no reason that this journey should have been any different. Sadly that was not the case and Dean was later to die in an unprovoked attack.

''We know he arrives at The Broadway by bus around 4.25pm and I am keen to piece together his movements between then and 5.15pm when he was assaulted by three or four males further along Ruislip Road.

'' That group of males are responsible for the assault and death of a vulnerable man who would have been in no position to defend himslef from such an attack.

''Dean's family are distraught by his murder. The people who attacked him are simply vicious cowards.

''I would urge anyone with information who has yet to come forward to think about the devastation this apparently randomacto of violence has caused.''

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

Any witnesses or anyone with any information is asked to call the incident room on 020 8358 0200 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

There have been no arrests at this stage.

10th February 2014