Boy, 13, charged with murder of Irishman in London
Police investigating the murder of a man outside his home after a “verbal altercation” with a group of youngsters tonight charged a 13-year-old boy with killing him.
Christopher John Barry, aged 53, also known as Jack, was stabbed at his home in Edmonton, north London, on Sunday evening after he was said to have been involved in an incident with a group trying to get into a party at another address in the block of flats.
The boy has been remanded in custody to appear at Highbury Corner Youth Court tomorrow charged with murder, Scotland Yard said.
Four boys – three aged 14 and one 13 – arrested on suspicion of murder must return to an east London police station on a date in late January pending further inquiries, Scotland Yard has said.
A post-mortem examination yesterday found the cause of death was a stab wound to the chest.
Mr Barry is believed to have been involved in an argument with a group of boys as he attempted to gain entry to the flats in The Broadway. He was followed into the building by two of the boys and stabbed, police said.
Ambulance crews attended but he was pronounced dead at the scene shortly before 8.40pm on Sunday.
Detective Chief Inspector Neale Baldock, of the Homicide and Major Crime Command, who is leading the investigation, said: “Our initial inquiries have established that there was a supervised party taking place at another address within the block and the group of males were trying to gain access to this.
“The victim and this group were not known to each other – what started as a minor verbal altercation has escalated into a shocking act of violence.”
