Richard Griffiths

Richard Griffiths was stabbed at a blues party in the early hours of Sunday 18 May 1986.

He was stabbed in the heart. A second man was also injured.

It was reported that after the stabbing the party went on for another two hours and that when the police arrived people were still partying whilst they attempted to piece together the events that led  up to the murder.

There had been about 50 people at the party.

A 22-year-old painter was tried but acquitted at Aylesbury Crown Court in June 1987. The painter had lived in Morris Court, Orts Road.

It was claimed that he had stabbed Richard Griffiths during a quarrel.

The prosecution said:

The court heard that a lock knife was found in the painters car and that he had confessed to the stabbing. However, the painter said that he had admitted the stabbing following pressure from the police and that he had not told detectives the truth.

He said that he had accidently bumped into Richard Griffiths at the party and had apologised but that Richard Griffiths had carried on shouting at him. However, he said that he had not wanted any trouble and that during a scuffle he had grabbed Richard Griffiths in the chest and then gone to the other side of the room and that shortly after that he saw Richard Griffiths fall to the floor.

However, he said that he didn't know that Richard Griffiths had been stabbed and that he had later gone to the police station to find out what was going on and was then arrested.

He said that when he was interviewed by the police that they told him that he would get life imprisonment. He said however:

The court further heard that two brothers had gone to the party armed with a pickaxe handle, a knife and a bottle of acid.

At the time of the trial in 1987 it was heard that one of the brother's had been in prison serving a 15 month sentence for robbery and for possession of an offensive weapon at the Oxford Road party.

Following the acquittal of the man, Richard Griffiths's father stormed:

Richard Griffiths had been from Stockwell.