
An 'infuriated' vigilante has filmed himself tearing down the shrine erected in memory of a burglar killed by a homeowner he was trying to rob calling the flowers, cards and balloons 'trash'.

More than 100 bouquets were tied to a fence near 78-year-old Richard Osborn-Brooks' house to remember Henry Vincent, a career criminal stabbed to death in a botched burglar at the pensioner's property last week.

His alleged accomplice Billy Jeeves, 28, is on the run having dumped their car close to the traveller estate the friends come from near Orpington, Kent.

Outraged neighbours have blasted police for allowing 37-year-old Vincent's family and friends to construct the memorial, as officers said they were powerless to intervene.

Cards left by his parents and girlfriend say he had a 'heart of gold' and was 'too good to walk the earth'.

But late last night the vigilante drove to Hither Green, south-east London, before tearing down flowers and dumping the bunches in his boot.

He said: 'When I heard that the family of Henry Vincent (the burglar that got stabbed to death by his intended victim), had placed flowers on the road where he died, I was extremely furious. It infuriated me, so I just drove to south London, to the area to see it myself. Decided to remove the trash though.'

He added: 'Donated the flowers to local graveyard' and posted a photograph of the bouquets next to gravestones.

A vigilante drove to Hither Green, south-east London, before tearing down flowers and dumping the bunches in his boot calling them 'trash' (pictured left to right)

The man has 'donated the flowers to local graveyard' and posted a photograph of the bouquets next to gravestones

A shrine erected in memory of a burglar killed by the homeowner he was trying to rob was torn down by furious locals overnight

Flowers and cards left for the burglar have been ripped from fences and lampposts overnight

Mr Osborn-Brooks (pictured left) was arrested on suspicion of Henry Vincent's (right) murder after he stabbed him with the screwdriver he used to break into his house. The pensioner was later released without charge, but is still being kept under police guard over safety concerns

Outraged neighbours blasted police for allowing 37-year-old Vincent's family and friends to construct the memorial and took the law into their own hands

Nearly two dozen bunches of flowers (pictured) were attached to a fence just 20 yards away from the 78-year-old's home in Hither Green, south London (left yesterday) but these have now been ripped down today (right)

One man has claimed to be responsible for tearing down the tributes late last night and some of the bouquets appear to have been taken away completely

Photographs taken by MailOnline today show flowers, balloons and cards left for Vincent torn down and strewn across the pavement. Many of the bouquets have disappeared altogether.

Billy Jeeves, 28, is on the run following a botched raid at the south east London home of Richard Osborn-Brooks last Wednesday

Neighbours have said they are terrified that Vincent's supporters may return to cause trouble.

One said: 'There is the fear they might come back and cause a rumpus. They made it a bit of a shrine and they will return to the shrine.

'I would not come out if they came back. '

Resident Theresa Webb, 43, said she was 'relieved' the large floral tributes had been cut down.

She said: 'It is not the place. It was stapled onto the fences of other neighbours who care for Richard.

'It is not nice. No one is in mourning for them here.

'We are a close knit community. The fact they put them there is inappropriate.

'There was 101 bouquets down there.'

Others living near Richard Osborn-Brooks had branded the memorial to career criminal Henry Vincent 'disgraceful', a'taunt' and an 'insult'.

Nearly two dozen bunches of flowers were attached to a fence just 20 yards away from the 78-year-old's home in Hither Green, south London.

One resident said of the mourners: 'They have taken over the road, but he can't move back. It doesn't seem fair.'

Police officers in the area had said they had no powers to remove the tributes.

NHS worker Kayleigh Taylor, 23, said: 'That is a really disgraceful display. They should not have this outside the house.'

Another resident, who asked not to be named, said: 'That shouldn't be there. It's out of order.'

The shrine in South Park Crescent also included balloons and cards that read 'you will be missed' and 'I love you', including one beginning 'To my Daddy'.

Mourners at the scene yesterday refused to speak about their tributes and stayed to reflect for around half an hour.

As flowers, balloons and cards were torn down overnight it also emerged:

Police launch manhunt for alleged accomplice Billy Jeeves, who appears to have dumped and set alight getaway car after burglary last Wednesday;

Relatives of Henry Vincent are said to be seeking revenge after Richard Osborn-Brooks, 78, 'killed one of their own';

Mr Osborn-Brooks has been taken into custody for his own protection and may never be able to return to his home, which has now been boarded up;

Police under fire for allowing Vincent's family to build shrine to career criminal who died in botched burglary;

A traveller who knew Vincent for years warned that the dead man's relatives and friends were out for blood. He said: 'They won't get over a death of one of their own and they won't rest until they get their revenge.

'They'll go armed with whatever they've got – guns, knives, anything that they can lay their hands on. There is nothing that they won't do to get their own back on this pensioner.'

Police at the scene yesterday said they were unable to remove the tributes, telling MailOnline: 'They are going to stay I'm afraid. It's just one of those things.'

But nearby residents were furious after it emerged Mr Osborn-Brooks's disabled wife Maureen is 'finding it very tough' despite the police investigation being dropped.

Several women had yesterday erected the shrine to Henry Vincent on a wooden fence opposite the house where he was stabbed - tributes that last night were ripped down

Neighbours of Richard Osborn-Brooks, 78, in Hither Green, south London (pictured) branded the memorial to career crook Henry Vincent 'disgraceful' before it was ripped down overnight

One card left for Vincent appears to have been written by his daughter saying 'strangers can say what they like' but she was 'proud' of him

Vincent's father has also left a card at the scene and said he was 'too good to walk this earth'

The shrine in South Park Crescent (mourners pictured placing tributes there yesterday) also included balloons and cards that read 'you will be missed' and 'I love you'

Mr Osborn-Brooks was arrested on suspicion of Vincent's murder after he stabbed him during an altercation inside his home.

The pensioner was later released without charge, but is still being kept under police guard over safety concerns.

His wife, who suffers with arthritis, is believed to be taking her husband's ordeal badly, adding to neighbours' fury over the burglar's shrine.

At the weekend a few cards and flowers were left by the entrance into South Park Crescent from Further Green Road.

But that has now grown and includes balloons with 'Daddy' emblazoned on them, colourful ribbons and teddy bears.

Yesterday afternoon three young women were seen festooning the wooden fence opposite Mr Osborn-Brooks' home with bouquets of flowers, balloons and cards.

Outraged local Kayleigh Taylor, 26, fumed: 'It's so insensitive, so disgusting it's make my blood boil.

'To me that is nothing but an insult. It's a taunt aimed at provoking Mr Osborn-Brooks and the people who live on this street who support him.

'I think this is a sick demonstration of how proud they are of what their relative did.

'If those flowers and tributes were on my fence, I'd have ripped them down straight away. I can't believe the police watched someone put them up and did nothing.

'Those burglars could have broken into any of our homes that night so they'll get absolutely no sympathy from us.'

Bianca Ivanko said the flowers were attached to her fence during the afternoon while she was asleep.

She said: 'I had no idea they were there, I don't know what we're going to do, whether to let the tributes stay up.

'I live here with my husband and family so we'll have a meeting [last night] to discuss what to do.

'I saw the few cards and flowers left by the turning into the road and that I thought that's was OK but not anything more than that. This is too much.'

Some of the messages left at the shrine include: 'RIP Henry Boy. One in a million. Our Golden Boy.'

Another from his father reads: 'You was too good to walk this earth.

'I new (sic) you believed in God, Ive got your bibles to prove it. It's count down, I'll be with you soon.'

One of his children, meanwhile, wrote: 'STRANGERS can say what they like about you. They don't no who you was so I don't care.

'I new you and I love you more than anything in the world. I will never be ashamed to call you my daddy and you was the best one I could ask for.'

A note left by another of his daughters addressed 'to my daddy of a king' said: 'Sorry dad I wasn't with you to help you and tell you everything was going to be alright.

'You must of been frightened by yourself. I'll stand up for you dad, I won't let you down cos I know you wouldn't let me down.'

His girlfriend Marilyn said: 'My boyfriend I wanted so much more for you. I will keep my promises to you....

'A double edged sword. I will never regret being a positive in your life. It is so sad that it came to this.

'You can shine now. I know how you really felt. I will always be your best friend.'

A family friend said: 'You didn't deserve this my child, only God can judge. Henry will have the best bed in heaven.'

Addressing the Vincent family, the friend adds: 'Stay strong and hold your heads high. BE PROUD.'

But mother-of-one Senami Otti, 32, was stunned to come home to find the balloons and floral tributes.

She told MailOnline: 'I thought it was for somebody's birthday not for a burglar who died after breaking into someone's house.

'The Christian side of me thinks that somebody, a human being, has lost their life and it's sad for the family.

'But the other side of me thinks that it's in bad taste to leave all this outside Mr Osborn-Brooks' home.

'They should have laid the tributes wherever the burglar lived and not here. He wasn't an angel. I think it's insensitive.'

Vincent's partner Marilyn has also left a card and called for the 'anger to disappear all around'

Another message to Vincent, pictured, 'loved him so much' and that they 'thought the world of him'

Alexandra Naformita, 26, added: 'I think the flowers, balloons and cards look nice and when I saw them earlier they cheered me up about what happened last week.

'But that man was not deserving of such a tribute.

'I've seen on TV his family say how he was a decent and loving man.

'If that's the case then what was he doing breaking into a house in the middle of the night?'

One resident who did not want to be named said: 'That should not be there, it is someone's fence.

'It's all a bit over the top. It's out of order. The man should not have burgled the property in the first place.'

Another long term resident said: 'They have taken over the road with this but he can't move back? Doesn't seem fair. '

Mourners at the scene (pictured) refused to speak about their tributes and stayed to reflect for around half an hour

A woman is pictured bringing flowers to the makeshift shrine to Vincent opposite Mr Osborn-Brooks' home

Theresa Webb, 43, a consultant nutritional therapist who lives on the road said the community are 'mourning the loss of a life' but their first thoughts are with Richard and his wife.

She said: 'It's a great shame Richard and his wife might never move back to the area again.

'Our first thoughts are with Richard and his wife and to make sure they are being cared for and looked after. '

An Osborn-Brooks' family friend said the couple 'knows that their ordeal is far from over'.

'Richard is handling the situation as well as can be expected but he's understandably very concerned,' the friend said.

Women are pictured placing tributes to Henry Vincent near Richard Osborn-Brooks's home

'He and Maureen feel they cannot return home and that's very alarming for people their age.

'They don't know if they will ever see their home again as the police are taking the threats against them very seriously.

'That's why there has been a load of security cameras fixed to their property and the police are keeping watch.'

The friend added: 'It is very tough on Maureen. She is doing OK but she has real difficulty walking due to problems with arthritis.

'On that night, Richard worried that she was trapped in bed. He would do anything to protect her.

'This is the last thing they need at their age.'

Vincent, 37, died in hospital after he was stabbed in the struggle with Mr Osborn-Brooks.

The pensioner had found two men in his terraced house in the early hours of last Wednesday.

While one went upstairs to search for valuables, Vincent, who was armed with a screwdriver forced Mr Osborn-Brooks into the kitchen.

A struggle broke out between the two in which Vincent was stabbed in the upper body.

He and his accomplice fled the house but Vincent collapsed in nearby Further Green Road.

'They won't rest till they get revenge': Traveller makes chilling warning to hero pensioner as dead burglar's fugitive 'accomplice' is identified and a SHRINE to fallen criminal grows at OAP's home

A traveller friend of a burglar stabbed to death by his victim has warned his friends and family 'won't rest until they get revenge'.

The man, who once beat career criminal Henry Vincent, 37, in a bare knuckle fight, told MailOnline his relatives are seeking revenge after Richard Osborn-Brooks, 78, 'killed one of their own'.

The chilling warning came as a shrine was built in memory of Vincent opposite the pensioner's home in Hither Green, south London, which has sparked fury among residents.

Meanwhile a family friend said that Mr Osborn-Brooks is 'handling the situation well' but his disabled wife Maureen is finding it 'very tough' as they remain under police guard today.

Meanwhile officers also released a picture of Vincent's alleged accomplice Billy Jeeves, 28, who has been missing for five days, while a van he was believed to be driving was found burnt out and destroyed on Saturday night.

Richard Osborn-Brooks, 78, (left) fears never being able to return home in case of a 'revenge attack' after he killed intruder Henry Vincent, 37, when he broke into his home while his wife is 'struggling to cope'

One card left for Vincent appears to have been written by his daughter saying 'strangers can say what they like' but she was 'proud' of him

A woman is pictured bringing flowers to the makeshift shrine to Vincent opposite Mr Osborn-Brooks' home

The house remains under police guard but family friends told MailOnline Mr Osborn-Brooks and his wife Maureen are worried they 'won't be safe there'

The traveller who knew Vincent told MailOnline: 'I know that Henry Vincent would have killed the pensioner first if he could have got away with it, but they will act like he's the victim in all of this.

'This poor man and his wife won't be safe going back into their own home. Anything could happen.'

The dead burglar was a known cocaine user and heavy drinker, the traveller, who did not want to be named, added.

The married father said: 'There is nothing that they won't do to get their own back on this pensioner for taking Henry from them, even though he broke into the pensioner's house armed with a screwdriver.

'They won't get over a death of one of their own and they won't rest until they get their revenge against anyone who takes a cherished loved one.

'And when I say revenge, I mean they'll go armed with whatever they've got – guns, knives, anything that they can lay their hands on.'

He described what happened when he faced Vincent face-to-face in a bare knuckle bout a number of years ago.

'I was in a car park with my cousins in St Mary's Cray one day and Henry said something offensive. I said, 'Who do you think you're talking to?' He said, 'Do you want to do something about it?'

'The next thing we had our shirts off and we were fighting with bare knuckles. I beat him within about 10-15mins. He was all mouth and no trousers. But we just shook hands afterwards and that was the end of it.'

Vincent, he added, had always preferred a life of crime to finding legitimate work.

'Henry would refuse to train and to get qualifications so they could do a proper job,' he said.

'All he wanted to do was to stitch people up all the time – the more vulnerable the better - and to get whatever he could out of them before moving on to his next victim.'

First picture of dead burglar's 'accomplice', 28, who is still on the run five days after pensioner break-in - as police release image of burnt out van 'used to flee the scene'

Billy Jeeves, 28, is on the run following a botched raid at the south east London home of Richard Osborn-Brooks last Wednesday

Police have released the first image of a suspected accomplice who is still on the run five days after a pensioner stabbed a burglar to death in his home.

Billy Jeeves, 28, is a wanted man following a botched raid at the south east London home of Richard Osborn-Brooks last Wednesday.

The pensioner, 78, was hailed a hero after he protected his home and wife from career criminal Henry Vincent, 37.

But police are wanting to question Jeeves, who has links to Orpington and Swanley in Kent, and Cambridge, as they believe he may have been an accomplice to the burglary.

A van he was believed to be driving was found burnt out and destroyed near Hockingdon Lane in Orpington, Kent, on Saturday night.

Since the incident, Mr Osborn-Brooks and his wife Maureen have not returned to their £500,000 home out of fear for their lives.

A traveller who knew Vincent – and once beat him in a bare knuckle boxing bout – told MailOnline that the dead man's family and friends 'won't rest until they get their revenge' for the killing of 'one of their own'.

The chilling warning came as a shrine was built in memory of Vincent outside the pensioner's home.

A van he was believed to be driving was found burnt out and destroyed on Saturday night, near Hockingdon Lane in Orpington, Kent

During the botched raid in South Park Crescent, Hither Green, the accomplice dragged a fatally wounded Vincent toward a van before leaving him for dead, according to a witness

Jeeves and Vincent were sought by police over a distraction burglary in Farningham, Kent, in November 2017.

The victim, a 70-year-old man, said he had his jewellery stolen when he let a woman, who claimed to have been attacked, into his home.

A white van appeared outside the home and when it honked, the woman left.

Video footage, obtained exclusively by MailOnline, is being examined by detectives who are hunting the second burglar, believed to be Jeeves, who fled in a white van after failing to resuscitate Mr Vincent.

Police remove belongings of hero pensioner and his disabled wife as bags of clothes, a hair dryer and tin of Roses are taken from home they can't return to amid fears of reprisal attack

Bags of clothes, books and other items belonging to the hero pensioner who killed a burglar were today removed from his home.

Two plain clothes police officers were seen loading some of Richard Osborn-Brooks's possessions into a Ford transit van parked outside his home in Hither Green, south east London.

They were seen taking away three bags filled with clothes, books, a hair dryer, phone charger and a tin of chocolates.

The 78-year-old and his disabled wife are still staying at an unknown location under police guard.

Police have warned of possible reprisals after Mr Osborn-Brooks stabbed intruder Henry Vincent, 37, to death after he broke into his home last week.

Two plain clothes police officers were seen loading some of Richard Osborn-Brooks's possessions into a Ford transit van parked outside his home in Hither Green, south east London

They were seen taking away three bags filled with clothes, books, a hair dryer, phone charger and a tin of chocolates in Hither Green

The pensioner was arrested on suspicion of murder but later freed without charge after a widespread campaign for his release.

But friends of the career criminal, who broke into the pensioner's home with an accomplice, believed to be Billy Jeeves, 28, have warned he is still in danger.

A traveller friend who knew Vincent told MailOnline: 'I know that Henry Vincent would have killed the pensioner first if he could have got away with it, but they will act like he's the victim in all of this.

'This poor man and his wife won't be safe going back into their own home. Anything could happen.'

'They won't get over a death of one of their own and they won't rest until they get their revenge against anyone who takes a cherished loved one.'

The men were seen taking items away as the 78-year-old and his disabled wife remain at an unknown location under police guard