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Man charged with Indian-origin newsagent’s murder in London
Katharkamar, 54, was stabbed to death at 6 am, when he opened his shop. A passerby found him inside the shop with stab injuries. The London Ambulance Service pronounced him dead at the spot.
Scotland Yard on Friday charged a man in connection with a fatal stabbing in the London suburb of Pinner on March 24. Newsagent Ravi Katharkamar was stabbed, amid growing concern over the increasing number of stabbings in the capital.
Katharkamar, 54, was stabbed to death at 6am, when he opened his shop. A passerby found him inside the shop with stab injuries. The London Ambulance Service pronounced him dead at the spot.
The police said: “Alexander Stephen Gunn, 31, of no fixed residence was charged on Thursday, 4 April, with the murder of 54-year-old Ravi Katharkamar. He was also charged with robbery.”
Gunn was due to appear in the Willesden Magistrates’ Court on Friday.
He had previously appeared at the same court on April 1 charged with burglary, theft from a motor vehicle, possession of an offensive weapon and driving whilst disqualified, the police statement added.
Detective Chief Inspector Simon Stancombe said: “This was a vicious and unwarranted attack on a completely innocent man. Ravi’s attacker got away with a few pounds worth of coins, but he leaves behind a family utterly devastated and a close-knit community asking who could do such a thing.”
Home Secretary Sajid Javid has sought increased funding for the police to deal with the growing incidents of stabbing in London and other parts of the UK.
