Woman stabbed in Peckham last night (Lounged)

[Annasfield]

The knife crime in our City is shocking and it appears to be getting worse. Whether this is because the press are now all over every single incident due to the sensationalism involved or because more and more kids are carrying knives is a side issue. It is happening and is quite intimidating.

I have lived all over the country and perhaps one of the most horrific things that I have experienced was to learn that a friend of mine was stabbed to death in his own flat hallway. I wasn't living in London, I was living in a small seaside town on the North Norfolk coast, called Sheringham. Quite scary really and something that I will never forget. John was murdered by his girlfriend's son who was schizophrenic. Unfortunately, a simple case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

My point here though is that bad things can happen to anyone at any place or any time in their life. You can avoid putting yourself in risky situations though.

Lets face it, there are certain areas around here that none of us would be comfortable walking around late at night and sometimes even in broad daylight.

I was driving home to ED on the bank holiday weekend in May and was heading down the Walworth Road. Just before Burgess Park a large section of the pavement had been cordoned off and several police were present. As I got further down the road, I noticed clothes and somebody?s trainers strewn about and a rather large pool of blood, which to be quite frank if someone had been left without that much in their system for a short while I don?t imagine they?d be alive to tell the tale.

What had happened? Who knows? It never made the press.

It really freaked me out and put me off getting the bus home via that route for a good while. My immediate reaction was ?I don?t want to live here anymore?. I don?t fear for my well being as I believe that the majority of knife/gun crime is gang related, however I do not want to witness someone having their throat slit outside MacDonalds or shot during a hold up in a shop.

I?d like to think I?m relatively streetwise and wouldn?t dream of asking a group of teenagers on bus to turn their music down or mention something about their behaviour.

I guess what I?m trying to say is that I wouldn?t put myself at unnecessary risk. I do worry about when my family and friends visit, because if I?m quite honest, if you asked a kid in Sheringham to turn his/her music down, the likelihood is he/she will tell you to eff off. I?d be extremely surprised if they pulled out a knife.

I can totally understand peoples? reaction in wanting to move away from a suburban area where this sort of occurrence is prolific. Particularly if they have young children that you can?t be with 100% of the time and offer your protection to.

They may or may not be safer elsewhere, but peace of mind can be a great comfort.

[snorky]

lets get this in persepctive - in a city of maybe 10M people with extremes of wealth and poverty , tis is going to happen - sad but true

likely , it was over a tivial matter, as is usually the case, but obviously no one can comment yet

very very very few of us will have actual experience of a face to face violent crime in the area, even fewer will have experience of a random violent crime

If a murder a mile away has you quaking in your laura ashely quited bed, then maybe an escape to the 'burbs is the answer - o of couse you could still live in the area and at a push, support or get involved in whatever is going on to help move away from the ( overhyped ) series of street assaults that seems to fill our every waking moment from Breakfast telly until we go to bed.

Anyway, the horror of living in the dead black heart of Sevenoaks is enough to make me stay here ( until the snorklets need to go to a High achieving grammar school etc )

pah

[Brendan]

You guys are all so right. How can someone possibly think that they will experience less crime if they move to an area with a lower crime rate?

[david_carnell]

Is that a "stab" at irony Brendan?

[snorky]

random attacks by strangers are not exactly the most common of crimes

the crime rate stats mean nothing when viewed in isolation

[appers]

more information at sky news

[ratty]

Dee Willis is the victim.

Name rings a bell but is not a client of mine.

RIP :*(

[MadWorld74]

did this poor woman know here attacker or was it a random killing?.......I feel sick.

[Moos]

Er, read the thread.

[NatashaD]

I believe it was a woman who stabbed Dee Willis; at least that is what the police are suggesting. It happened near the LIDL, so not in the more gentrified part of Bellenden Road.

[NatashaD]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article4254044.ece

[MadWorld74]

We were waiting on the high street in Peckham for a bus at 11pm last night.

[MadWorld74]

Moos Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Er, read the thread.

No need for sarcasm pal.....

[NatashaD]

Yes, I thought Moos was a bit sharp with you there MW. Perhaps you upset her on a previous thread. It is always a good idea to be nice to people on here MW, don't you agree?>:D

[MadWorld74]

(No idea who Moos is!

Yes keep your friends close but keep your enemies closer......)

Now back to the thread.

[Moos]

I've got no history with MW74 - but NatashaD is right, I was sharp with you, sorry about that. I still think you should read the thread though, it's all on here.

Edited to say - we cross-posted. Heavens, are we enemies already?

[NatashaD]

I am concerned that a witness said there was a gang of about 20 girls nearby when the woman was stabbed to death. It's awful to think that the victim was with someone, and still this happened. I will wait for more facts to emerge, but this does make me feel more apprehensive about the area.

Yes, it COULD have happened elsewhere in the UK, but why, oh why, is Peckham so frequently implicated?

[SeanMacGabhann]

why oh why oh spells YoYo

No offence to your profession Natasha (we can all blame the sub-editors right?) but I have completely given up relying on reportage after an incident of any type. The Stockwell shooting is another example where reporters quoted witnesses who variously all said multiple, contradictory things. (which makes the witnesses unreliable I guess, not the reporters)

Aaanyway.... we are all speculating and the information coming out is spotty so I would leave it alone. All sympathy to the victim and her family etc. What it's boiling down to for most people I guess is

Are things Out Of Control and Are We Going To Be Stabbed Ourselves? As a gambling man, I'm saying no. Just a hunch. Anyone fancy a pint at the Montpelier and a walk back to Freirn Rd tonight?

[MadWorld74]

are these 20 girls linked in any way? Sorry I don't have access to any news websites at the moment.

[KalamityKel]

Only if you walk me back to mine afterwards SeanMac :p

There's really no point being scared this or that may or may not happen to you. Just live your life.

I'm not in any way suggesting the problem should be ignored. My own personal ideas I shall refrain from sharing until I find a loophole around the "law" ;-)

[SeanMacGabhann]

And for those thinking of moving to Portsmouth

Portsmouth news

[MadWorld74]

that's screwed you up then Ratty!

[fish]

When, oh when, will these senseless stabbings end? My deepest condolenses to the victim's family.

[SeanMacGabhann]

Well the answer to that question, looking at human history, would apparently be "never". But to echo those who have called for perspective - it is relatively limited and not getting worse

[Jamma]

This doesn't affect me. I'm not in a gang, I don't do or deal in drugs and I'm not some messed up schemie who spends all day drinking then fighting. So why the fuss? Because some diddy journalist from a two-bit paper has come on here trying to whip people up into some sort of demo like the one in north london to get a story. Don't take the bait.