Masala Wala moped muppets

Masala Wala is the second Brockley Cross business to suffer a smashed front window in recent weeks after The Brockley Deli was on the receiving end of a similarly gratuitous act of vandalism before Christmas.

One of those weekends, a kid on a moped smashed into the railings outside our place on Sat, we got taped off during peak time with limited access. This morning, this. Both completely mindless and financially devastating for our small biz. Onwards and upwards hope. Saima xxx pic.twitter.com/pJ85OkrymC

— Masala Wala Cafe (@masalawalacafe) January 15, 2018

Nothing was stolen, but this is a cost that would hurt any small business.

Brockley Deli Break-In

Send us love ❤️ please! Shaken pic.twitter.com/YhowCTJlD2

— thebrockleydeli (@thebrockleydeli) December 12, 2017

The lovely Brockley Deli has suffered an attack this afternoon. So if you were wondering where to buy something nice this evening, you now know where to go.

Police seek South London sex attacker caught on Brockley CCTV

The police are asking for the public to help identifying a serial sex attacker, who was caught on CCTV in Brockley following an attack on a 15-year-old girl. The BBC reports:

CCTV footage has been released of a man police want to speak to about 25 sexual assaults of women and children.

The Metropolitan Police believe the offences, which have taken place across five London boroughs, were carried out by the same suspect.

The victims, aged between eight and 35, were attacked in daylight, usually during morning and evening rush hours. The assaults, in which victims were indecently grabbed, occurred between 16 October 2016 and 22 November 2017.

The force found CCTV footage from the latest attack in which a 15-year-old girl was assaulted in Brockley, south London, just after 08:30 GMT.

It shows the man police would like to speak to as part of their investigation. He is described as a white man, aged in his 40s, with blue eyes.

Out of the 25 females assaulted, 16 were young children. The other victims were aged between 16 and 35.

The offences were mainly carried out in the Lewisham and Greenwich areas, but police have received reports of similar attacks in Southwark, Bromley and Bexley.

Det Ch Insp Andrew Furphy, leading the investigation, said: "The offences have been traumatic for the victims, who have been young females going about their daily lives.

Officers from the Metropolitan Police have increased patrols in the areas where offences have been reported, and the force said it was working with local schools to reassure pupils and parents.

Click here to see the full video.

BMW flips on St Asaph Road

The News Shopper reports:

"A man had to be cut free from a BMW after a car being chased by an unmarked police car crashed into it in Brockley.

"Police said officers chased a Mini Cooper from Pomeroy Street to St Asaph Road shortly before noon yesterday (October 25) after it failed to stop when it was flagged down.

"As the car reached the junction with Avignon Road, the Mini collided with a BMW, flipping the BMW onto its roof outside a St Asaph Food and Wine convenience store, according to police."

The Mini driver was arrested and the BMW occupants taken to hospital.

Click here for the full report, including photos. Thanks to Monkeyboy for the heads up.

Council consults on tougher penalties for anti-social behaviour in public spaces

Lewisham Council has launched a consultation about a new proposed public space protection order, which will create prohibitions on specific activities deemed anti-social to the public.

The orders would provide authorised officers with powers to enforce prohibitions in public spaces, potentially resulting in a fine of £100.

The proposals cover booze and drugs, cars and tents and dogs and dog poo.

Please take part in the consultation here.

Driver mugged by moped gang in Ladywell

Police have asked the public for help in catching a moped gang who robbed a driver on Ladywell Road on July 6. The Standard reports: 

"A gang of thieves on mopeds robbed a Porsche driver at knifepoint in broad daylight in south-east London.

"Shocking footage showed the gang of four, on two bikes, pulling up beside the car before one of them threatened the driver with a blade.

"One of the pillion passengers pointed the knife towards the victim, a man in his 30s, as he sat in traffic in Lewisham."

Anyone with information is asked to contact Lewisham CID via 101 or tweet information to @MetCC

Brockley 4 Turners

The owner of Turners, the hardware store at 309 Brockley Road, was beaten up during a robbery of his store today.

A Justgiving page has been launched to raise £250 to help him get back on his feet. The creators say:

"We are shocked by the events at our local hardware store and this is a donation for the owner, who has been hospitalised after an attack during a robbery at his premises today."

To donate, click here.

Blight rider

Perhaps naively, I assumed that if a bellend drives a car into a tree and abandons it in the middle of the pavement in one of Brockley's main thoroughfares, that the car would be removed within days, perhaps hours. Instead, this car has been left in Brockley Cross for weeks, for the community to work around.

It's not as though the authorities are unaware of the wreck - the signs are an attempt to sweep the issue under a civic rug.

If CSI Lewisham still needs to run the black light over this one, please can they hurry up - or otherwise move this thing.

- Lewisham police would like to make it clear that abandoned vehicles are the responsibility of Lewisham Council.

Brockley business break-in

Terrible to see @FredsSe4 & @MalaysianDeli broken in to last night😡 Closed today. Make sure you #SupportLocal & get them back on their feet pic.twitter.com/HDEF1U3BPW

— South London Club (@SouthLondonClub) February 22, 2017

What didn't happen in 2016

Before I write the Brockley Central review of the year, I thought it would be worth reflecting on three things that don't appear in the 2016 round-up. These are stories and themes that were staples in previous years, but were happily absent in the last twelve months:

Brockley murder

With depressing regularity each summer, as the nights grew longer and warmer, a gang-related grievance would escalate to produce a fatal stabbing somewhere near Brockley Station or Brockley Cross. Often, this would be followed days later by a deadly reprisal.

The normalisation of spaces that were once designated drug-dealing hangouts has reduced the opportunity for conflict, while zero-tolerance policing has dispersed the gangs. As a result, 2016 was the first year in the history of the site that I haven't had to report a Brockley murder.

It may be a statistical blip, but let's be grateful for small mercies.

Grumbling about rude station staff

The comment threads used to be littered with complaints about the attitude of Brockley Station staff, who were variously described as rude, inert and generally incompetent.

By contrast, staff now regularly receive compliments for their cheer and professionalism, even in the face of massive disruption to the Southern service. New management of the station has transformed the mood and no-one who has been bid a hearty goodnight at the ticket barriers as they leave the station will ever feel the same about their commute again.

Protests about big brands

Co-Op, Sainsbury's and Costa all moved in to the area in a big way in 2016. Once, this would have triggered demonstrations, petitions and apocalyptic predictions for local independent businesses. This year, the complaints never rose above a tut.

Possibly, this is due to changing demographics, maybe the ideological battleground has shifted - but most likely it's because we've had a decade of local evidence to suggest that chains and indies can live side-by-side after all.

Ladywell Fields cafe burgled

The Ladywell Fields cafe, run by local charity Ten Thousand Hands, has been burgled and around £6,000 of equipment has been stolen. The Evening Standard reports:

"Callous thieves allegedly broke into the Ten Thousand Hands Cafe in Ladywell Fields in the early hours of Sunday morning.

"The café, which opened in 2014, has been used to train young people including those with autism and provide a community facility."

A JustGiving page has been started, to raise funds to replace the lost items. Click here to donate.

Thank you to Jenny for the heads-up.

Ladies and Gentlemen: We got him

Able was Howard ere he saw Brockley. We have accomplished what Jeremy Paxman never could. We have taken down the kingpin. The Mail reports:

Former Tory leader Michael Howard has been convicted of failing to say who was driving his car when it was caught by a speed camera [on Lewisham Way].

Lord Howard, 75, and his wife Sandra, 76, both claimed either could have been driving their Toyota Prius, which was clocked at 37.3 mph in a 30mph zone.

The former Home Secretary was fined £900, with £625 costs, plus a £90 victim surcharge and received six penalty points on his driving licence.

Thank you to Monkeyboy and Joe (not a double-act) who sent me the link.

Fear is the mind killer

Caroline writes:

I am looking to interview young adults about their fear of crime in Lewisham and how it affects their use of space and behaviour. This is as part of my university dissertation.

I have already conducted some interviews including a policeman, a local councillor and community worker. I am looking to conduct 20-30 minute interviews via skype or in person in a public space like the library. If you are aged between 18 and 24 years old, live in Lewisham and are familiar with the central Lewisham area then I would be interested in interviewing you. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I can be contacted at carrieob94@hotmail.com

I’m local to the Lewisham area, growing up here and going to local schools. I attended Prendergast Hillyfields. I am currently at University studying Geography and am writing a dissertation on 18-24 year olds’ fear of crime in the Central Lewisham area.

Fossil Hunting

Fossilite writes...

Last month our vintage street sign (above) was ripped off the wall on the corner of Fossil Road and Brookbank Road, Ladywell. If anyone spots this sign for sale locally, or on the internet, could they please let me know via Brockley Central? It was a little shabby but residents were very fond of it and would be keen to have it back.

Thai Crimes and Misdemeanors

As if the shortage of Thai food in Brockley wasn't already acute, Sudaporn has had her Thai food wagon stolen from outside her Brockley home today. Please be on the look out for it and email her if you see it.

Four of our dogs are missing

BCer Sara had her dog stolen and is helping to track down the Cruellas who took them. She writes:

My dogwalker's white fiat Diablo van was stolen in Streatham, Glennie Rd which had 5 dogs in it! Just before 11am. 

The men driving the van are letting the dogs out of the van in various places, probably on their way out to the country. One dog was let out in Bishopthorpe Road Sydenham 11.15 and is now safe in the vets.

We are looking for 4 dogs, Tilly Nina Lilly and Mattie.

Please share, tweet, Instagram, email and text Call me on 07798606455 if you have any information whatsoever. 

Stygian Dump

The Tressillian Road railway bridge has become the new favourite haunt for opportunistic fly-tippers. Kasia, who sent the photo, says that nighttime furniture and appliance dumping is becoming a regular occurrence at this spot.

Crofton Park knife fight hospitalises a 12-year-old

A 12-year old boy has been hospitalised after a knife fight in Crofton Park. The News Shopper reports:

A 12-year-old boy and a 14-year-old boy were arrested after a knife fight in Crofton Park. Police were called around 3.55pm yesterday to reports of boys fighting in Brockley Road.

Three young people jailed after fatal incident on St Norbert's Road

Three men have been jailed following the events that led to the death of Nassem Galleze in St Norbert Road last year.

ThisIsLocalLondon reports:

Nassem Galleze, 17, from Roundtable Road in Grove Park, died from multiple injuries after the car he was travelling in, as a passenger in the back-seat, was hit by a lump of concrete and ploughed into a lamppost in St Norbert Road, Brockley, on September 26 last year.

Woolwich Crown Court heard how Nassem and his friend Tershan Thompson-Williams, 22, were in a rival gang to Shiloh Moore and his brother Remi Moore and were driving into their turf when the altercation started.

The crashed Vauxhall Corsa was still surrounded by fighting youths when police arrived, the court heard.

Thompson-Williams pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of a bladed article - the machete and the lock knife. He was handed a concurrent sentence of two years and 8 months.

Shiloh Moore, 22, pleaded guilty to violent disorder, for which he was sentenced to three years and four months, and threatening a person with an offensive weapon, for which he received no separate penalty.

Remi Moore, 23, pleaded guilty to violent disorder and was jailed for three years and four months.

Police are hunting the person responsible for throwing the concrete block, [They say]:

"Our enquiries continue to identify the person who threw the concrete block and we would appeal for anyone with information, no matter how small, to contact us in confidence."

A 20 year-old man was arrested on 27 September last year on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and next returns on bail on a date in May.

Anyone with information should contact the incident room on 020 8785 8099 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

13-year old charged after Lewisham bus blaze

Lewisham bus fire: Double-decker bursts into flames in south London https://t.co/RzqLjE8Ma4 pic.twitter.com/Z8y5kDWcZw

— Evening Standard (@standardnews) March 25, 2016

A 13-year-old boy has admitted setting a double-decker bus on fire in Lewisham at the weekend. No-one was harmed in the fire, but the blaze outside the Glassmill Leisure Centre destroyed the vehicle. The Standard reports:

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, from Bromley, pleaded guilty today at Bromley Youth Court to a charge of arson with intent to endanger life. He has been remanded in custody and will be sentenced next month.

Police were called to Loampit Vale in Lewisham shortly after 6pm on Friday after a fire broke out on the top deck of a number 208 bus before it later burst into flames.

Thanks to Joe for the spot.