DRIVEN OUT
Removal men clear burglar-stab hero OAP Richard Osborn-Brooks Hither Green home after he’s ‘forced to sell’ following threats from thief Henry Vincent’s family
REMOVAL men have been pictured clearing the home of a hero OAP who stabbed a burglar to death after he was forced to go into hiding over death threats.
Richard Osborn-Brooks, 78 — cleared by murder-probe cops — hasn't been seen since he was sent the threats by the family dead burglar Henry Vincent.
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Removal men were snapped at the home in Hither Green today loading boxes on to a truck with a police car still parked on the driveway.
A police flatbed lorry also arrived to pick up Mr Osborn-Brooks' car - a silver Vauxhall Astra that had the front and rear number plates removed.
One neighbour, who did not want to be named, said: "We always hoped they would come back at some stage but this looks rather final to me.
"It's all very sad."
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Mr Osborn-Brooks and his wife Maureen, 76, who suffers from severe arthritis, have been kept under police guard in a safe house since the attack.
Family friends claim there is a fear of reprisals from the criminal family of crook Vincent, 37.
One pal said: "They are waiting for the dust to settle before they announce that publicly and put their house on the market.
"It's the fact that they could come back and that his wife is disabled. They could terrorise him. It's not safe.
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"He's got what happened that night on his conscience for the rest of his life now. He's never going to forget that he's killed someone.
"He's not a violent person. He's a really nice run of the mill guy."
The couple’s home in Hither Green, South East London, remains secured by shutters and monitored by a street camera.
There has been a war on the street between vigilantes and Vincent's traveller family who have been leaving floral tributes to the criminal.
Fuming locals have been tearing down the memorials as they branded the dead burglar "scum".
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They have also vowed to stage a roadblock to block his £100,000 funeral procession from passing the OAP's home.
Mr Osborn-Brooks was initially quizzed by cops on suspicion of murder after a botched burglary on his home saw Vincent fatally stabbed.
Police eventually confirmed that no formal charges would be laid against the pensioner, with the community rallying to support the elderly man.
Angry Iain Gordon tears down floral tributes left to dead burglar Henry Vincent in Hither Green
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