Neighbours pay heartfelt tribute to 'polite, kind and…

Neighbours pay heartfelt tribute to 'polite, kind and funny' Irishman Thomas O'Halloran after brutal murder

Neighbours and friends of murdered Irishman Thomas O'Halloran have paid tribute to the "kind and funny" family man.

The 87-year-old was stabbed to death on his motorised scooter on Tuesday as he was on his way to go busking outside a local newsagents.

Mr O'Halloran was known for playing the accordion outside his local supermarket to raise money for war-torn Ukraine and his own family, with police describing him as a "very well known and a much-loved member" of the community.

Now neighbours and friends have set up a GoFuneMe campaign to support the Clare man's family with funeral costs and "anything else they may need".

A GoFundMe post reads: "Hello people, I am a neighbour and family friend of Thomas John O'Halloran who was 87 years of age and was brutally murdered (stabbed to death) on Tuesday the 16th of August 2022 in Greenford west London around the time of 3.15-4.15 pm...

"Tom was a lovely man and well known in the Greenford area as he has lived here for many years, he was always polite, kind and funny and Still had plenty of life left in him many of you locally would have known Tom for playing instruments busking in train stations and around the Greenford area to feed his family and also to raise money for Ukraine.

"Tom fought for his country in world war 2 and then after became a caretaker of a rubbish dump for many years until he retired. Tom was a grandad and a dad and very much a family man hence the reason why he was out busking for his family in hard times. Tom did not deserve this tragic end to his life and as you can imagine has left his family devastated beyond belief.

"So I am here trying to raise money for the family to help out with funeral cost and anything else they may need I hope that we can come together has a community and help is family in memory of Old Boy Tom so he can rest easy knowing is family are being taken care of and he gets the send off that he deserves."

A man, 44, was arrested on suspicion of the murder in Southhall, west London, in the early hours of Thursday and remains in police custody.

The Clare man attempted to flee the scene of the gruesome crime and travelled 70 metres before a member of the public came to his aide.

Police and emergency services rushed to the scene, but the busker was pronounced dead a short time later.

He is survived by his brothers George and Richard, sister Bridget, and many nieces and nephews who live in west Clare.

Officers had earlier released images of a man "fleeing the scene" in Cayton Road "armed with a knife".