An 87-year-old man was attacked in the street and left for dead for the sake of a box of cornflakes and a shepherd’s pie, a court has heard.
John Mackey had visited a north London Co-op store where he bought food and a newspaper before visiting a kebab shop on the afternoon of Tuesday May 6. He was allegedly followed in the street and set upon when he reached Goodchild Road in Manor House.
Emergency services were alerted after he was found unconscious and bleeding from his head at around 5.53pm. Mr Mackey was taken to hospital where he regained consciousness but died two days later.
Prosecutor Ben Holt said: “A member of the public saw Mr Mackey lying on the pavement and heard a male shouting ‘give me the bag’ and a man standing over Mr Mackey.”
Other eyewitnesses allegedly saw a male being punched, kicked and stamped on, the Old Bailey was told. The attacker allegedly made off with the victim’s black duffel bag containing his cornflakes, shepherd’s pie and newspaper.
A post-mortem examination gave the provisional cause of death as bleeding on the brain and fractured ribs, Mr Holt told the court.
Peter Augustine, 58, of Green Lanes, Hornsey, north London, was arrested on May 8 and charged with Mr Mackey’s murder and robbery. On Tuesday, his case was brought to the Old Bailey for a preliminary hearing.
Judge Richard Marks KC set a two-week trial from November 3, with a plea hearing on July 29.
‘Horrific incident’
A police cordon was in place until Friday morning (May 9) metres away from the Spring Park playground and the Redmond community centre in Woodberry Down. Local resident Erzsebet Thomas, 60, said it was ‘scary’ to hear about the man’s death. The hotel worker added: “Now I am very afraid of coming home here because of what happened… It’s so awful.”
Neighbour Sandra Murphy, 65, told the PA News Agency that John was a ‘beautiful, kind man’, adding: “He was a lovely old Irishman who would do anything for anyone… He was an engineer and he was busy every day, and went out every day – he used to do gardening with his brother.”
Ms Murphy said she planned to lay flowers in memory of John. “He was very particular about his appearance, every day he had a trilby hat and a suit on,” she continued, “People said they thought he was targeted because he had a briefcase. I said ‘he never had a briefcase’. He had a little holdall which he had his anorak and his umbrella in.”
Paying tribute to her neighbour, Ms Murphy said: “Even today, I texted one of his old neighbours. She said when they were around the corner in the old flats he used to do her garden for her and everything. He was so loved around here. No-one would have a bad word to say about John.”
Detective Chief Inspector Mark Rogers, from the Met’s Specialist Crime North Unit and leading the investigation, said shortly after the incident last week: “This is a horrific incident which very sadly resulted in an innocent man dying. His family are being supported by specialist officers. At this stage we are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.”
Assistant Chief Superintendent Brittany Clarke, who leads local policing in the area, said: “We know many people will be very concerned by what has happened and while we have a man in custody, local patrols have been stepped up. If you have any concerns please do speak to those officers. A man has lost his life in a tragic way and our thoughts remain with his family.”
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