A 78-year-old homeowner has been arrested by murder detectives after a suspected burglar he fought with in his own kitchen died of a stab wound.

The pensioner, named locally as Richard Osborn-Brooks, was upstairs asleep with his wife when he was woken by the two men breaking into his suburban home in Hither Green, south-east London last night.

He was forced into his kitchen by one of the men, who was armed with a screwdriver, before a struggle ensued.

The intruder, a 38-year-old man, was left with wounds to his chest and local residents say he collapsed in a neighbouring road and died in hospital.

The homeowner was initially detained on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm but was later arrested on suspicion of murder. The case has been compared to that of Tony Martin, who was jailed for killing an intruder at his home in 1999.

The break-in comes amid a surge in violence in the capital, with 49 people already having died in crimes in London in 2018. Last night's death brings the toll to 50.

Richard Osborn-Brooks, 78, has been named locally as the homeowner who was arrested

Forensics officers outside the home of a 78-year-old man who remains in custody after he was arrested after he fought with a suspected burglar who broke into his house

Richard Osborn-Brooks, pictured here at a clay pigeon shooting range, is the owner of the house in Hither Green in London

Officers are currently scouring the man's home for evidence as they question the pensioner

Police have said the second burglary suspect fled the scene before they arrived, and they are still trying to track him down.

Neighbour Clem Williams, who has lived on the road for 20 years questioned the man's arrest, asked: 'Why were the men at his house? The man has a right to defend his home. They should let him go.'

The homeowner suffered bruising to his arms but police said his injuries are not life threatening. He remains in custody at a south London police station.

Neighbour Mr Williams, 58, a martial arts instructor, added: 'It's a very quiet road, normally we do not get police incidents down this road.

'There are a lot of older people on this road so I was quite surprised to hear about. I've been here 20 years and most people get on with others round here.'

The incident unfolded shortly before 1am this morning in South Park Crescent, just off the South Circular, where houses sell for around £400,000.

A forensics team enter the home of a 78-year-old man arrested for murder after he fought a 38-year-old who is thought to have broken into his house armed with a screwdriver

Police are investigating after a suspected burglar died from stab wounds in this street in Hither Green, south-east London

Gordon Williams, 44, saw the man on the ground with a stab wound to the chest before another man tried, unsuccessfully, to get him into a white van. The van then drove off before police and paramedics then arrived at the scene.

Mr Williams said: 'He was a white bloke about my age. I had just gone to to bed and I heard moaning and groaning.

'At first I thought he was drunk, but when I looked out of the window, I saw a white Vauxhall Astra van pulled up beside him.

'A black man was saying to the guy on the ground "come on, get in the van". He was trying to drag him but it wasn't working.

'The black guy then looked up to my window and saw me looking out, so he ran back into the van and drove off north.

'My wife then heard the clang of metal on the ground and saw him throw something out of the van's window.

'I went downstairs straight away and was the first on the scene.

'The man on the ground was white and was bleeding heavily from his chest through his shirt.'

Gordon said he then went out of the house to the injured man and added: 'I just tried to reassure him. His t-shirt was covered in blood.'

The witness said believed the man's injury was a knife wound.

'People have been talking about a screwdriver but this wasn't a screwdriver wound, this was a knife. The wound was an inch long.

'I think that it was a knife and I think from what my partner said that the black guy pulled it out and threw it away.

'The man on the ground was wearing a blue t-shirt and it was pulled up. I think he was dead already. His pupils were completely dilated.

'There was another young man on the scene quickly and he phoned the police straight away.

'They came within minutes and so did the ambulance.

'The paramedics tried to resuscitate him for 20 minutes, but he was dead I'm sure.'

Neighbours have backed the man, saying he was defending his home from intruders

A forensics tent has been put up outside the house, whose owner is said to have been retired for more than 26 years

The area, which has a number of elderly residents, has been targeted by burglars before

Neighbourhood Watch member Sylbourne Sydial, who is in his 40s, said the case reminded her of that of Tony Martin.

He said: 'A man should be able to defend his home... your home is your castle and I believe your neighbourhood is your kingdom.

'I have got a wife and child and sometimes I'm out of London - we will have to have a serious discussion with the police about if something like this happens.'

Neighbour Nick Myatt, who lives in a house within the police cordon, said of Mr Osborn-Brooks: 'I saw him a few times, he's a lovely old man and he cares for his wife who I think has dementia or is disabled.

'He's a nice man, nice to talk to.

'He's an old man - it's a shame really. I hope the law sees sense and let's him off. I don't think it's right.

'I don't know his name. I just hope he gets off.

'One of the police told me it's definitely him that's been arrested.'

Nick and a friend who was with him at the scene both confirmed a picture of Richard Osborn-Brooks was the man who lives in the address being searched by police.

Other neighbours also said they knew him from photos.

A neighbour who lives several doors away, also within the cordon, described Osborn-Brooks as a 'nice guy'.

The elderly man, who declined to give his name, said: 'He's retired, but a nice guy, keeps himself to himself.

'Goes out shopping once a week and that's about it.

'He's been retired all the time I've been here - about 20 years. Nice as pie that's all I can tell you.'

Another young man who lives in the street said Osborn-Brooks is a familiar face at summer street parties.

The man, who was in his 20s but didn't give his name, said: 'We have street parties, people bring food with them and the whole neighbourhood comes out.

'We definitely recognise him from those, he lives on the street.

'It's normally a safe area. A burglary has happened here before but it's not very often.'

There is a growing police presence at the scene as Scotland Yard's Homicide and Major Crime Command investigate

Forensics experts were scouring the scene this morning as the man remained in custody

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: 'At 00:45hrs on Wednesday, 4 April, police were called by a homeowner to reports of a burglary in progress at an address in South Park Crescent, Hither Green SE6, and a man injured.

'The 78-year-old resident found two males inside the address. A struggle ensued between one of the males and the homeowner. The man, aged 38, sustained a stab wound to the upper body.

'London Ambulance Service took the injured male, who was found collapsed in Further Green Road, SE8, to a central London hospital. He was pronounced dead at 03:37hrs.'

Police were unable to confirm whether the suspect had been stabbed with the screwdriver.

Parts of the street where the break-in was reported, along with neighbouring Further Park Road, have been cordoned off this morning as forensics experts scour the scene.

What is the law on confronting burglars? How homeowners can use 'reasonable force' against intruders Tony Martin (pictured) killed Fred Barras, 16, and wounded accomplice Brendon Fearon, 29, with his unlicensed shotgun British law allows homeowners to use 'reasonable force' against intruders to protect themselves or others in their home. Guidelines introduced in 2005 allow people to protect themselves 'in the heat of the moment' – including using an object as a weapon. They can also stop an intruder running off, for example by tackling them to the ground. There is no specific definition of 'reasonable force' and it is said to depend on the circumstances. Government guidance states that if a person 'only did what you honestly thought was necessary at the time, this would provide strong evidence that you acted within the law'. People do risk prosecution however if they carry on attacking the intruder when they are no longer in danger, or pre-plan a trap for someone rather than involving the police. One famous case involved Tony Martin, who killed Fred Barras, 16, and wounded accomplice Brendon Fearon, 29, with his unlicensed shotgun after he found them late at night inside his home in August 1999. He was jailed for life for murder at Norwich Crown Court in April 2000, but later had his sentence reduced to five years for manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. He appealed against his conviction, claiming that his account was not properly put forward at his trial. It was also revealed that he had Asperger's Syndrome. Fearon, who admitted conspiring to burgle Bleak House, accompanied by Fred Barras, was jailed for three years at Norwich Crown Court in 2000 and was released in August the following year. Mr Martin's case provoked a national debate about the measures homeowners can take to defend their property. The farmer, who is known for his eccentric behaviour, was finally released in 2003, but never returned to live in his derelict detached home on his 300-acres of land at Bleak House Farm. Advertisement

In Hither Green today one neighbour, who asked not to be named, said the homeowner had been retired for many years.

'He's been retired for 26 years. I did some building work on his house a while ago, but I haven't seen him for about three weeks.' said the neighbour.

One man, who lives on the adjoining Further Green Road, said there had been a recent spate of burglaries in the area.

'I was burgled in the last couple of months,' said the retired man, who did not want to be named.

'I was renovating the house and they broke in and took a laptop. I know this has happened to others recently.'

The lower part of a neighbouring road and much of the street where the incident took place have been cordoned off by murder detectives

Police have thrown a wide cordon around the street, South Park Crescent, and the surrounding area as they investigate

Locals say they believe the man who later died may have fled into the street after the incident

Adam Lake, who lives near the scene, also said he did not feel safe from crime.

He said: 'When I heard it was a burglary I wasn't surprised, there's been a noticeable increase in crime in the area.

'We've even had to put up CCTV at home because we didn't feel safe. Such an awful event, I feel terrible for the man that was burgled.

'He doesn't deserve to be punished for defending himself, and the neighbours that I've spoken to all agree that the priority needs to be to support him after everything that he's been through.

'He was just protecting himself after all.'

A shoe was seen laying in Further Park Road this morning, leading some residents to speculate that the injured man may have run into the neighbouring street before collapsing.

As officers examine the scene in Hither Green, the second burglary suspect is on the run

The break-in and resulting death come at a time where the Met is dealing with a large number of murder probes

Police were seen guarding the street this morning at murder detectives scoured the area

Security guard Ahmed Haili, 32, said he saw people trying to help someone in the street.

He said: 'It was about 12.45am and I saw a white man on the ground and he was being given CPR, trying to save his life.'

An elderly resident of the street told MailOnline: 'I didn't hear anything last night but there were lots of police here when I looked out this morning.'

The Met confirmed the next of kin of the man who died have been informed, though the he has not yet been formally identified. A post-mortem examination will be scheduled.

Scotland Yard confirmed the Met's Homicide and Major Crime Command was investigating.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 quoting CAD214/4Apr. To remain anonymous they can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

The street, in this centre of this aerial image, is just off London's South Circular Road

A large section of the street, which is next to the railway line, has been closed off by police