Carl OBrien

Carl O’Brien was attacked in the communal stairwell of flats at 12 Vanguard Way, Wallington in the early hours of 3 December 2016.

A 26-year-old man was tried for his murder but acquitted at Isleworth Crown Court in October 2017.

It was thought that he had gone down to answer the communal door at his flats after his doorbell was repeatedly buzzed and that he had gone down to see who it was and had opened the door. It was thought that as he turned his back on the people that had been at the door that he had then been hit on the back of the head and that after he fell down he was stamped on.

He was able to get back to his flat, but later that day he lost consciousness and was taken to hospital where he later died on 23 December 2016. Shortly after the assault he had told a family member that he had blurred vision and a persistent headache.

He was 6ft 4ins tall and described as a strong man.

His post-mortem gave his cause of death as being blunt trauma injury to the head.

The police said that there had been a party on the Roundshaw estate on the night before the assault, although Carl O’Brien had not attended, and they appealed for anyone that had attended it to come forward.

He was attacked on his granddaughter’s first birthday.

He was a cab driver and was known as Wurzel. Over 600 people attended his funeral.

He had been a Chelsea fan and had been a club groundsman and at a game between Chelsea and Hull, a minutes’ applause was held for him during the 55th minute of the game.