Another stabbing in Sydenham

[simon]

First of the year, so far.

http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/top_s ... er_weights_/

[Eagle]

I do not believe it , as Victor would say.

Why do people have to resort to lethal weapons . How have we raised a generation so selfish and violent.I realise there are many exceptions.

[JeeBee]

I didn't know there was a leisure centre in Sydenham ... although I guess the place in Crystal Palace Park is one.

[Annie]

Its not far from Sainsburys in lower Sydenham.

[Eagle]

It is the old BP staff sports centre , which was much nicer when it was for their use only.

[Robin Orton]

I am a regular user of the swimming pool at The Bridge. It seems perfectly well run to me and I have never witnessed any untoward behaviour, let alone crime.

[Annie]

Its such a shame that it may blight the name and area of Sydenham and the bridge leisure centre.

[Eagle]

Hello Annie
I quite agree but what is so sad is that a simple dispute about a trivial matter could result in a knifing.
How have we got here?

[Tim Lund]

It was interesting to hear on the news this morning that

the Met is scaling back its 30 murder squads because of budget cuts and a decline in the number of homicides in London.

Source here

What happens in Sydenham may be an exception, but the statistics suggest our society is not going to hell in a handbasket. It's also good to see Robin reporting from experience, rather than culturally determined preconceptions. Otherwise, along with Eagle and the best of them, he'd be chanting "O tempora, o mores!" as he sometimes does with venerable old Latin tags.

[Jac]

Hi,
I have just registered so i could post on this subject.I wanted to say that I think we should be proud of the reactions of all concerned at The Bridge on Tuesday.
The knifeman was a 29 year old man so not to be grouped in with "the youth of today"and the staff and other customers who stepped in and tried to difuse this mans agression were an age range starting from 19 I believe, including a 20 yerar old staff member who was stabbed.Afew members of staff apprehended the man and held him until the police arrived and arrested him.While a couple of very young men helped the victims until paramedics arrived.All showed a huge amount of bravery and community spirit.I believe the bridge to be a very safe place to be considering not one person "turned a blind eye" and the situation was confined to two wounded instead of a murder victim. I want to say well done to all concerned,and i think it would be a huge vote of confidence to the spirit of those young Sydenham citizens if we praise them instead of assuming that The Bridge is not a good place to be.

[leenewham]

Best post of the year Jac.

[Rachael]

Agreed - thanks for posting, Jac. And well done to everyone at the Bridge who dealt with a difficult situation.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[Tim Lund]

Here, here!

[G-Man]

I have been reliably informed that the member of staff that was injured is making a good recovery.

Glad to here someone has been arrested too.

Well sad Jac, on all counts.

Cheers

G-Man

[Chris Best]

Just to update you - James Campbell living at Bayes Close, off Lawrie Park Road, is the 29 year old man charged with GBH and will appear at Woolwich Crown Court on Wednesday where he will also face a charge of possession of a weapon as the knife was recovered from the scene.

A 20 year old member of staff from the Fusion team who manage the Bridge stepped in to assist the 41 year old member of the public and I understand that both are now stable.

Lewisham are meeting with all the relevant partners to review the incident and the procedures that were followed and I would like to reassurance residents that this is a rare incident but one that staff are trained to deal with.

Sadly staff at the Bridge have also had to manage another serious incident at the Bridge this week as a 56 year old man collapsed and died during an exercise class in the studio. There will be a post mortem, but it does appear to have been a heart attack. We are arranging for a letter of condolence to go to his family from Lewisham Council, and we have asked Fusion to make sure the staff are properly supported. There will of course be a full investigation into the circumstances.

Staff at our Sport and Leisure Centres manage a number of issues during the course of a week and whilst these are two serious incidents to start the year I would like to say that we are planning a whole range of events across Lewisham to celebrate 2012. As Chair of the Forest Hill Pools Stakeholder Group I am looking forward to the opening of Forest Hill pools in the coming months so residents of Sydenham will have a choice of leisure centres.

Cllr Chris Best
Representing Sydenham Ward and Cabinet Member for Community Services
http://www.chrisbest.org

[Willy]

James Campbell living at Bayes Close, off Lawrie Park Road, is the 29 year old man charged with GBH

How is returning with a knife and using it GBH?? Why do people have to die before the criminals are charged with something serious enough to get some decent jail time, it seems to me this is attempted murder.

[Annie]

Yes,I agree with you.

[Eagle]

I certainly agree. Lawrie Park Road always been such a nice road.

[Tim Lund]

James Campbell living at Bayes Close, off Lawrie Park Road, is the 29 year old man charged with GBH

How is returning with a knife and using it GBH?? Why do people have to die before the criminals are charged with something serious enough to get some decent jail time, it seems to me this is attempted murder.

On this, I'm very happy to leave it to the professional judgment of the police - I think they know better than me what's appropriate.

I'm - just - old enough to remember stories about Mods and Rockers, which on looking it up on Wikipedia, I discover was the context for the coining of the phrase 'moral panic'. I was wondering how many of them got done for GBH, let alone a more serious charge equating to attempted murder. All that I can find on that link is that

a judge levied heavy fines, describing those arrested as sawdust Caesars

.

I think we have here further evidence of our society becoming less tolerant of violence, and although Victor "Eagle" Meldrum might not be able to believe it, safer and less violent.

[Annie]

To be honest Tim, I think that if a person leaves a place to then return and try to stab/kill someone it should be classed as attempted murder,
that person had the time to go out, come back, and stab two people..
plenty of time to consider or re-consider his actions.

Ps I remember the Mods and Rockers