Old Bailey jury finds man guilty in South Norwood murder case

Posted on December 6, 2024 by insidecroydon

Dajour Jones was yesterday found guilty by a unanimous verdict of the “murder in cold blood” of 20-year-old Jamie Gilbey, whose remains were found in undergrowth off Cantley Gardens in South Norwood in 2022.

Guilty: Dajour Jones will be sentenced on Dec 13

The jury in the Old Bailey trial took six hours to reach its verdict, rejecting the claim by Jones that he had hit the victim with a broom in self-defence after Gilbey confronted him with a knife and stole his phone.

Jones, 27, refused to attend the hearing yesterday, even via videolink from Belmarsh Prison, although Judge Nigel Lickley KC said that he will have to attend his sentencing, which will take place on December 13.

During the trial, the court heard how Jones had a history of violent conduct. At the time of the murder, Jones was on licence having been released from prison after attacking a man in a cycle shop in London Bridge.

The killing happened nearly three years ago, when Gilbey’s body was dismembered and dumped in bin bags near South Norwood Lake, with blood-stained clothing and bedding disposed of near a children’s play area in Love Lane. Continue reading →

Posted in Crime, Croydon parks, Policing, South Norwood | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

TfL confirms it will axe 118 bus route despite public opposition

Posted on December 6, 2024 by insidecroydon

From February, Transport for London will be withdrawing the 118 route, which runs from Brixton to Morden via Streatham, Streatham Park and Mitcham.

All change: the 118 route has been service south London since 1936

The decision has been made following a public consultation in which, even TfL admits, there was overwhelming public opposition to the proposals.

TfL’s proposals were for the 45 route to be extended to cover parts of the 118 service. Among the objections to the changes were that this longer route could prove less reliable. TfL did not include service frequencies in its consultation. Continue reading →

Posted in Commuting, TfL, Transport | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Death of the high street (Part 94): now even estate agents exit

Posted on December 6, 2024 by insidecroydon

Vacant property: the Andrews estate agents’ shop, now empty awaiting new tenants

CROYDON COMMENTARY: Things are getting so tough in Purley, even long-established estate agents are selling up and moving out. iC’s loyal reader CHRIS MYERS outlines his concerns

To let: business has been slowing even for Purley estate agents

Just noticed the Purley branch of Andrews has closed.

I phoned them up and the guy said, “We decided not to renew the lease and share the business between our Wallington and Sutton branches.”

It’s a big place with frontages on the Brighton Road and High Street.

It looks like it’s up to rent for £35,000 per year, so I guess we can expect south London’s biggest chicken business to move in. Or a nail bar. Or another barbers. Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Property, Purley | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

Thornton Heath school hits right notes with Christmas single

Posted on December 6, 2024 by insidecroydon

With help from a local secondary, a primary choir is vying with Ed Sheeran and Sabrina Carpenter to top the festive charts

On song: the St James the Great school choir recording in the studio at Trinity School

St James the Great Primary School in Thornton Heath has released its first ever Christmas single, Joy on Christmas Day.

The festive track, written by choir director Ziad Khwiss, features the angelic voices of pupils from the school’s chamber choir.

The single was recorded in the studio at Trinity School in Shirley, whose Big Band students, aged 15 to 17, contributed the instrumentals. Continue reading →

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Brothers sentenced to 44 years for murder of Bradley Hutchins

Posted on December 5, 2024 by insidecroydon

Two men from Purley have been sentenced to a total of 44 years for the September 2023 murder of Bradley Hutchins and seriously injuring his brother.

Guilty: Shane Canavan

Shane Canavan, 23, and his half-brother, Joshua Langley, 29, both of Greyfields Close, were sentenced to life with a minimum of 23 years and 21 years in prison respectively.

At Woolwich Crown Court in July, they were both found guilty of the murder of 20-year-old Bradley Hutchins and of wounding with intent his 19-year-old brother, Calum Hutchins.

Bradley Hutchins was one of 11 people killed on the streets of Croydon during 2023.

During the trial, the court heard how police were called to reports of a group of men fighting with weapons in North Walk, New Addington on September 12 last year.

Officers attended and heard that Bradley and Calum had been taken to a nearby ambulance station. They had both been stabbed multiple times. Continue reading →

Posted in Crime, Knife crime, New Addington, Policing | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Inside Croydon’s generous readers amble to help Garwood

Posted on December 5, 2024 by insidecroydon

Long shadows: our winter ramble from Whyteleafe via Kenley airfield and on to Coulsdon Common took in some stunning scenery

Inside Croydon’s autumn amble from Whyteleafe to Coulsdon Common, via Kenley airfield, raised £80 in donations for local charity Garwood Foundation.

Nearly 20 loyal readers and hardy ramblers applied to take part in the walk, led by Ken Towl and following a section of the London Loop. And all of them made a donation to the Garwood, with iC topping up the money to a suitable, round figure. Continue reading →

Posted in Addiscombe East, Addiscombe West, Charity, Community associations, Education, Garwood Foundation, Schools, South Croydon, Walks | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Croydon man pleads guilty to child sexual abuse offences

Posted on December 5, 2024 by insidecroydon

A man from Croydon has been convicted of a range of offences involving sexual abuse of children, including inciting the rape of a baby.

Keith Edun, 47, of Strathmore Road, appeared at Croydon Crown Court on Monday where he pleaded guilty to inciting the rape of a baby, distribution of indecent images of children, two counts of making indecent images of children, and perverting the course of justice.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Phill Govett said: “This was an extremely complex investigation involving the digital forensic examination of multiple devices, cross-referencing his online activity with real-world actions which revealed what a scheming and meticulous offender Edun is.

“He went to great lengths to hide his offending, but I’m glad to see that despite his attempts to evade justice for his crimes, he will now face the consequences of his actions.” Continue reading →

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King Charles congratulates fast-growing Purley Scouts group

Posted on December 5, 2024 by insidecroydon

Promising start: the new Explorer Scouts gathered together to receive their scarves and hear a message from the King

King Charles has sent a message of congratulations to one of Croydon’s fastest-growing troops of Scouts.

Since starting in 2018, the 30th Purley Masjid Scouts have successfully opened Beavers (for six- to eight-year-olds), Cubs, Scouts and last month opened its Al Ayyubi Explorer Scout Unit for 14-to18-year-olds.

Twenty teenagers were welcomed into the Al Ayyubi Explorer Scouts at an event held at Royal Russell School, where the Explorers made their Scout Promise in front of their friends, family and members of the local community. Continue reading →

Posted in Activities, Coulsdon, Purley, Scouts and Guides | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Charity funds dramatherapy sessions for children with epilepsy

Posted on December 5, 2024 by insidecroydon

Children and young people in Croydon living with epilepsy are set to receive additional support from Croydon Health Services NHS Trust, thanks to funding via Croydon Health Charity.

The charity recently received a £2,950 grant from Beckenham Theatre Trust to deliver a new creative arts therapy programme to provide peer support and access to the arts.

The project follows feedback from parents and carers and will involve a six-week programme in 2025 for primary and secondary school-aged children who are receiving care at the Trust. Continue reading →

Posted in Charity, Croydon Health Charity, Croydon NHS Trust, Health, Theatre | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

RSPCA recruiting rescue staff in Croydon, Bromley and Surrey

Posted on December 5, 2024 by insidecroydon

The RSPCA animal charity is recruiting animal rescue officers, including roles in Croydon, Bromley and for the Warlingham and Caterham area.

Job opportunity: the RSPCA is recruiting for rescue officers

Animal rescue officers are frontline workers who respond to reports of cruelty, neglect and injury, deal with complaints, and collect and rescue injured and trapped animals. They carry out some of the vital work of the RSPCA, alongside inspectors, in making a real difference to the lives of animals.

There are 179 animal rescue officers across England and Wales. Together with RSPCA inspectors, animal rescue officers have responded to 247,265 incidents so far this year. Continue reading →

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Norbury and Norwood Junction council car parks to be sold off

Posted on December 4, 2024 by insidecroydon

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Town Hall reporter KEN LEE on how 157 Brick by Brick flats in Coulsdon were sold below the market rate, as the council continues to overspend on Mayor Perry’s unbalanced budget

Property speculation: council car parks in Norwood Junction and Norbury are among 13 properties listed for sale

Anything that is not nailed down is being put up for sale by cash-strapped Croydon Council, with three public car parks on a list of 13 properties being flogged off as part of proposals being considered at the Town Hall tonight to “accelerate” its assets disposal programme.

Being £1.5billion in debt and with spending this financial year out of control, Conservative Mayor Jason Perry and his finance enforcer, Councillor Jason Cummings, are expected to have their plan to rush through their “Tranche 3” of asset sales rubber-stamped at the council cabinet meeting. Continue reading →

Posted in Brick by Brick, Business, Council Tax, Croydon Council, Jane West, Mayor Jason Perry, Section 114 notice | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Founder of ‘Church of Bling’ to be deported as illegal immigrant

Posted on December 4, 2024 by insidecroydon

Tobi Adegboyega, the founder of “the Church of Bling”, the controversial SPAC Nation which was closely linked to the Conservative Party in Croydon, is to be deported to Nigeria, having been living in this country illegally for almost 20 years.

Deported: Tobi Adegboyega was an illegal immigrant while working with Croydon Tories

Adeboyega had brought an appeal to the immigration tribunal, where he claimed that deportation would breach his right under the European Convention of Human Rights to a family life, due to his marriage to a British woman.

Earlier this year, the Charity Commission handed out lengthy bans for four other leading figures in  Adeboyega’s cult-like church, following a four-year investigation into its dodgy activities.

Inside Croydon first reported in 2019 how SPAC, the Salvation Proclaimers Anointed Church, was accused of a wide range of dubious behaviour and misconduct, from controlling abuse of young people, to getting young church members to sell their own blood, to sexual abuse, to organised fraud, and how it was subject to a Met Police fraud squad investigation.

SPAC Nation was shut down after failing to properly account for more than £1.87million of outgoings and operating with a lack of transparency. Continue reading →

Posted in Charity, Church and religions, Crime, Gavin Barwell, Knife crime, Mario Creatura | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

‘All fares services reinstated after cyber incident ‘ says TfL

Posted on December 4, 2024 by insidecroydon

Fair’s fare: Transport for London’s payment systems are returning to normal

Transport for London’s online systems for passengers are returning to normal following the cyber security incident in the summer, and Tube, bus and tram passengers using pay-as-you-go with a contactless card or a mobile device can now see their full journey history online.

The reopening of contactless.tfl.gov.uk follows TfL reopening systems for Zip photocards, 60+ London Oyster photocards, 18+ Student Oyster photocards and other concessions.

“All TfL fares services impacted by the recent cyber incident are now reinstated,” the transport authority announced this morning.

Continue reading →

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Gruesome South Norwood ‘murder in cold blood’ trial begins

Posted on December 4, 2024 by insidecroydon

The murder trial began at the Old Bailey this week, following the brutal death nearly three years ago of a young man who was dismembered and had his body parts dumped near South Norwood Lake, with blood-stained clothing and bedding disposed of near a children’s play area in Love Lane.

Search scene: body parts were found in parkland near South Norwood Lake

Dajour Jones, 27, is  accused of murdering 20-year-old Jamie Gilbey, whose remains were found in undergrowth off Cantley Gardens.

Gilbey was last seen alive on January 27, 2022.

Simon Denison KC, for the prosecution, said Jones had carried out a “sustained, vicious murder on a defenceless Jamie Gilbey”. The case was “deeply disturbing”, the barrister said.

“It really is a murder in cold blood.” Continue reading →

Posted in Crime, Croydon parks, Policing, South Norwood | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Crystal Palace councillor raises £100 at charity book sale

Posted on December 4, 2024 by insidecroydon

Ho, ho, ho: Councillor Claire Bonham has thanked residents  for their generosity

Claire Bonham, the councillor for Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood, was taken aback by the generosity of residents, after she raised more than £100 for homelessness charity Crisis by selling some well-used second-hand books last week.

“Crisis do such good work here in Croydon,” Councillor Bonham said, “and at this time of year, it’s so important to support them in helping people in need.

“With temperatures dropping, it’s vital that Crisis have the resources they need to support vulnerable residents and help them into safe, warm accommodation.”

You might have missed the book sale, but you can donate to Crisis here. Continue reading →

Posted in Charity, Claire Bonham, Crisis Skylight Centre, Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Bicycle shed fire causes serious damage to Mitcham house

Posted on December 4, 2024 by insidecroydon

Burned out: the shed was used as a place for bicycle repairs

Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters were called to a bike workshop fire in a lean-to shed in a garden on Edmund Road in Mitcham.

The shed was completely destroyed by the fire.

The fire also destroyed a ground-floor flat, half of a first-floor flat and a small part of the roof.

The Brigade’s 999 Control officers were first called at 8.36am on Monday, and the fire was under control by 10am.

Fire crews from Mitcham, Wimbledon and Tooting fire stations were in attendance. Continue reading →

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After four-year delay, council to submit complaint reports

Posted on December 3, 2024 by insidecroydon

CROYDON IN CRISIS:  There won’t be any further police investigation. The council’s pursuit of Jo ‘Negreedy’ Negrini for her pay-off cash appears to have collapsed. But chief exec Katherine Kerswell might now write a couple of sternly worded letters. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES

Letter of note: council CEO Katherine Kerswell says it is alright now to do what she was advised to do in 2021

Almost four years since a senior investigator concluded that Croydon Council should mark the cards of some of its former directors by reporting them to their professional bodies, and Katherine Kerswell, the current chief executive, might finally get round to doing just that.

In among the paperwork for next Monday’s appointments and disciplinary committee, in which Kerswell was forced to admit that the police had decided not to waste any more of their time on investigating suspected neglect or misconduct that led to the council’s 2020 financial collapse, there’s a single paragraph which states that one of the key recommendations of the Penn Report might now be acted upon.

And that could be uncomfortable news for Richard Simpson, the finance director at neighbouring Sutton Council, and Lisa Taylor, who holds a senior position on the finance staff of Kensington and Chelsea borough council. Continue reading →

Posted in Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Mayor Jason Perry, Report in the Public Interest, Richard Simpson, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, Shifa Mustafa, Sutton Council, The Penn Report | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

More bad news for Perry over the Negrini ‘golden handshake’

Posted on December 3, 2024 by insidecroydon

CROYDON IN CRISIS: Another council legal action looks about to collapse – despite having landed the borough unnecessary bills worth tens of thousands of pounds. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES

Reward for failure: ex-council CEO Jo Negrini pocketed £437,000 on her departure in August 2020

Croydon Mayor Jason Perry’s forlorn exercise in “throwing good money after bad” in pursuing Jo Negrini, the council’s former CEO, to recover all or part of her £437,000 golden handshake, is about to be quietly dropped.

That’s the strong implication from a detail-lite public report by Katherine Kerswell, the current council chief executive, for the appointments and disciplinary committee that is due to meet next Monday, December 9.

Much of Kerswell’s “Update on the recovery of the settlement payment to the former chief executive” report is hidden away in the Part B report, which is withheld from the public.

But with the Metropolitan Police having abandoned its investigations into the circumstances which led to Croydon’s financial collapse in 2020 and the dodgy-looking £70million refurbishment of the Fairfield Halls, any argument that Negrini might be forced to return her pay-off because she had been in breach of her contractual responsibilities seems slimmer than ever.

The council’s case against Negrini had always been a weak one. The self-acclaimed “regeneration practitioner” had merely accepted a cash settlement offered to her by pankicked councillors and bamboozled council officials. Continue reading →

Posted in Brick by Brick, Croydon Council, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, Stephen Lawrence-Orumwense, The Penn Report | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Children’s services passes Ofsted inspection despite 5 deaths

Posted on December 3, 2024 by insidecroydon

The sigh of relief from the Town Hall could be heard all the way to Purley, as inspectors passed the council’s under-pressure children’s care department as overall ‘Good’. But with only 80% staff and a series of deaths of youngsters in council care, the report offers serious warnings

Ofsted has this morning published its report on Croydon’s children’s services department, with an overall rating of “Good”, but with a “Requires improvement” rating for those children who need protection.

The report follows a full inspection conducted in October, the first carried out on Croydon’s children’s services since early 2020. Then, the rating was “Good”, and marked the end to special measures for the council since 2017, when Ofsted inspectors discovered “widespread and serious failures” which “leave some children at risk of significant harm”.

According to the latest Ofsted inspectors’ report, “Since the last inspection in 2020, the local authority has improved services forchildren in care and care leavers. Although senior leaders have improved services for  children at the ‘front door’, not all children who need help and protection receive a consistently effective service.”

According to official council figures obtained through a Freedom of Information request, in the four years since the previous Ofsted inspection, five children or young people have died while in the care of Croydon Council. Continue reading →

Posted in Children's Services, Croydon Council, Debbie Jones, Katherine Kerswell, Mayor Jason Perry, Stuart Collins | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Housing disrepair – free workshop, South Norwood, Dec 5

Posted on December 3, 2024 by insidecroydon

Continue reading →

Posted in Community associations, Housing, Socco Cheta Community Hub, South Norwood Community Kitchen, South West London Law Centres | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Police drop all investigations into council’s financial collapse

Posted on December 2, 2024 by insidecroydon

CROYDON IN CRISIS: It now emerges that the Met decided to take no further action over allegations of possible fraud or false accounting as long ago as June 2023. EXCLUSIVE by STEVEN DOWNES

No charges: the Met says there is insufficient evidence to pursue a misconduct in public office case against former council leader Tony Newman

There will be no prosecutions brought against any of the senior figures who were implicated in Croydon Council’s financial collapse in 2020.

That’s the conclusion of an official report to be discussed at a council committee next week, after the Metropolitan Police decided to take no further action against the likes of Tony Newman, the former leader of the council, and Jo Negrini, the chief executive who walked away from the wreckage with a pay-off of £437,207 from the cash-strapped council.

The no further action decision will come as a bitter blow to Mayor Jason Perry, and marks his latest failure to deliver on his manifesto promises.

But sources close to some former council figures who were subject to police scrutiny have told Inside Croydon that they regard the decision as “vindication”, after having a criminal investigation hanging over them for almost four years. Continue reading →

Posted in Brick by Brick, Colm Lacey, Croydon Council, Guy van Dichele, Hazel Simmonds, Jacqueline Harris-Baker, Jo Negrini, Katherine Kerswell, Lisa Taylor, Mayor Jason Perry, Report in the Public Interest, RIPI II: Fairfield Halls, Section 114 notice, Shifa Mustafa, The Penn Report | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 24 Comments

Podcast: What Donald Trump’s election win might mean for us

Posted on December 2, 2024 by insidecroydon

Inflation x Incumbency = political death

Inflation x Incumbency x Immigration = political catastrophe, particularly for the Left

That’s the devastating equation to take away from the elections in America, according to the latest expert guest on our new podcast strand.

Croydon resident Marcus Roberts is the director of international projects at YouGov, one of the world’s leading polling organistions, and he was in the United States for the run-in to polling day that saw Donald Trump returned to the White House ahead of Democrat candidate Kamala Harris. Continue reading →

Posted in Andrew Fisher, Inside Croydon, The Andrew Fisher Interview, Under The Flyover | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Man given 12 years for killing Thornton Heath grandmother

Posted on December 2, 2024 by insidecroydon

An “abhorrent” and “heartless” man has been convicted of manslaughter, burglarly and fraud, following the death in her own home in Thornton Heath last year of 76-year-old grandmother Nelly Okomah.

Guilty: Hugo Da Silva Pires was found with scratches on his face and neck when arrested at Stanstead in June 2023

Hugo Da Silva Pires, 29, of Fernham Road in Thornton Heath, was sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court last week to 12 years’ imprisonment, after pleading guilty earlier this year.

His girlfriend and accomplice, Catiana Feliciano, 33, had pleaded guilty to fraud and perverting the course of justice and was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment in January this year.

Da Silva Pires and Feliciano were both arrested at Stanstead Airport in June 2023, while attempting to flee the country following the incident in Akomah’s home on Ladbrook Road.

In court, details emerged of how Da Silva Pires was known and trusted by Akomah, as he worked as a handyman who had fitted a kitchen for her and had been at her home earlier in the day of her death to help her register some kitchen appliances. Continue reading →

Posted in Crime, Thornton Heath | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Four led to safety from fire at disused office block in Sutton

Posted on December 2, 2024 by insidecroydon

Fire rescue: the fire took hold in a pile of rubbish outside a disused office block

Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters tackled a fire at a disused office block on Sutton Court Road on Friday night.

Around 16 square metres of rubbish outside the entrance was alight and a small part of the external fascia of the building was damaged in the fire.

Firefighters rescued four people, including a child, from the rear flat roof of an adjoining building via a nine-metre ladder. There were no reports of any injuries.

The Brigade’s control officers had given vital fire survival guidance to those in an adjoining building, on how to stay safe before firefighters arrived. Continue reading →

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Murder mystery lingers around crimes of the Borough Poisoner

Posted on December 1, 2024 by insidecroydon

Edwardian tragedy: the 1902 funeral in Croydon of Maud Marsh, as drawn for The Penny Illustrated Paper. Marsh is thought to be the final victim of serial killer George Chapman

SUNDAY SUPPLEMENT: A teenaged girl from Croydon proved to be the final victim of a notorious serial killer in Edwardian London, a man who was even linked to Jack the Ripper, as DAVID MORGAN explains

In November 1902, there was a small entry in the local paper telling readers that the funeral of Maud Marsh would take place at Croydon Cemetery. The funeral procession was to begin at the undertaker’s premises at the corner of Friar Street and Southwark Bridge Road at 12.30pm, and was due to arrive at the cemetery at 3pm. The police, it was reported, had made arrangements to deal with what was expected to be a tremendous crowd.

For Maud Marsh had been a victim in a story which generated local, national and international interest.

The Penny Illustrated Paper, dated November 15, ran the story of the funeral, complete with a sketch of the crowds assembled at the graveside. The funeral cortege was led by Maud’s parents, Robert and Eliza, without whose persistence Maud’s fate would never have been uncovered. Continue reading →

Posted in Crime, Croydon Minster, David Morgan, History | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment