David Brindle

David Brindle and Stanley Silk were shot in a hit at the Bell pub in East Street, Walworth on the evening of Saturday 3 August 1991.

It was thought that they have been shot in a gangland feud following the murder of Ahmet Abdullah. It was said that when the gunmen jumped out, one of them shouted, 'This is for Abbi', before firing.

David Brindle was thought to have been the intended target as his brother was on trial at the time for the murder of Ahmet Abdullah, which is itself is still an unsolved murder.

However, Stanley Silk, who had been drinking in the saloon bar of the pub with his wife, was an innocent victim. He was described as a Walworth man.

It was also noted that four others were injured in the attack, including the barman. One person was discharged whilst two others were described shortly after to have been in a serious but stable condition at Guy's Hospital whilst the fourth man, who had been taken to King's Cross Hospital, was in intensive care. They were all kept under police guard at the hospital.

They were shot when two masked gunmen burst into the saloon bar of the pub and shouted out David Brindle's name. They had been wearing ski masks and armed with an automatic pistol and a revolver.

As David Brindle was shot at, he tried to vault over the bar and escape but was hit by a single bullet in the lower body.

After he was shot, he was taken to hospital where he later died.

It was said that there were about fifteen people in the pub at the time and that after the gunmen started shooting wildly about, other people started throwing tables. It was said that David Brindle was the last person to be shot.

After the shooting the men got away in a red car.

The men were described as:

1. 5ft 10in to 6ft tall with dark clothing.
2. 5ft 8in tall, and also wearing dark clothing.

The pub landlord who had been upstairs at the time said that the pub was, 'A very well-run family house. I have got a very good clientele, but I guess the pub is slaughtered now'.

Although it was suggested that their murders were connected with the murder of Ahmet Abdullah, the police denied the connection, saying that they had identified no links with any other murder.

It was said that there had been a long running feud between David Brindle's family and another family since 1990 and that over the years seven members in total from the families had been murdered.

One of David Brindle's brothers was later shot and injured in 1994 whilst the brother that had been on trial for the murder of Ahmet Abdullah was shot outside his home in Rotherhithe in September 1995 and injured. A man was convicted of the attempted murder of the brother that was shot in 1995.

One suspect in the case was Alfred James Moody who was himself shot dead inside the Royal Hotel public house in London on Tuesday 1 June 1993. He was noted for having escaped from Brixton Prison and would have been at large at the time of the shootings. He had an extensive gangland criminal history including several armed robberies including one in the Blackwall Tunnel in 1978. His murder is also currently unsolved.

The Bell public house closed in 2013 and was converted into shops although the sign still hangs outside.