Hither Green burglary victim forced to sell home for £100k under value – as pics reveal kitchen where OAP knifed career criminal
Richard Osborn-Brooks, 78, sold his terraced house in Hither Green, south east London
THE hero OAP who killed a burglar in self-defence has been forced to sell his family home for £100k less than its value, The Sun Online can today reveal.
Richard Osborn-Brooks has lost out on a fortune in profit after selling the three-bedroom terraced house, where he stabbed career crook Henry Vincent, at a bargain rate.
It is the latest cruel twist for the 78-year-old after he was forced to move out with wife Maureen, 76, when it emerged the family of Vincent, 37, were “hell bent” on revenge.
Mr Osborn-Brooks killed Vincent with a screwdriver during a botched burglary at the home in Hither Green, South-East London, in April last year.
One chilling picture, revealed for the first time today, shows the bare wooden kitchen were the hero OAP defended his home from intruder Vincent.
Now his attractive 1920s terrace, which is still shuttered up, has been snapped up at a cut-price £400,000 by a property developer, Sun Online can reveal.
BARGAIN PRICE
Similar semi-detached houses on the same road were sold close to £500k just a year earlier, according to RightMove.
A home almost identical to that of Mr Osborn-Brooks, with an adjoining garage, also went on the market for £525k and an end of terrace in the area sold for £480k.
Less than a mile away a semi-detached was listed for £625k.
The Osborn-Brooks home could be used by a number of residents as a House of Multiple Occupancy (HMO) - a property that is shared by three or more tenants who are not members of the same family.
A neighbour, 77, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “The house has been sold as a House of Multiple Occupancy for £400,000, which is below market rate.
"We do not like HMO round here. Property developers make £3,000 a month out of them.
It is bad that Richard Osborn-Brooks had to move out. He was a very quiet man. It was a bit of a shock when it happened.
Anonymous neighbour
"It is bad that Richard had to move out. He was a very quiet man. It was a shock when it happened."
Pictures of the property, which was listed online, show it completely gutted with no traces of the elderly couple left.
The kitchen's original door has been ripped off the hinges and replaced with a metal board to stop intruders.
The property has been empty for a year with the couple moving out shortly after the break in.
Mr Osborn-Brooks awoke at about 12.30am to find two men rummaging around his home on April 4, 2018.
He tried to overpower Vincent, before attacking him with the screwdriver.
The OAP was arrested on suspicion of murder before being released without charge.
HELL BENT ON REVENGE
Vincent’s loved ones have allegedly been planning a hit on him ever since with sources claiming the pensioner will “have a price on his head for life."
They added: "They don't care that it was self-defence. They see it as one of their own being killed and they want to even the score."
Vincent's death brought a bubbling cauldron of tensions between locals and the travelling community.
Neighbours and people from far and wide tore down balloons and messages, from lampposts, fences and street signs erected by the burglar's family close to Mr Osborn Brooks' front door.
MOST READ IN NEWS
Today, exactly a year from the killing, cops announced they will be patrolling the area to provide "reassurance" to residents.
One neighbour, 66, who asked not to be named, told The Sun Online: "There are some militant people here.
"I saw how they ripped those flowers down.
"I think if they started putting those up they would be ripped down again."
RICHARD OSBORN-BROOKS: THE HERO OAP ATTACKED BY A CAREER CROOK
THE ordeal of hero OAP Richard Osborn-Brooks shocked and appalled the nation.
Mr Osborn Brooks, 78, had lived quietly in his South East London terrace with 76-year-old wife Maureen, for years.
He was popular with neighbours and described as a “gentle, friendly man” by loved ones.
But his happy, ordinary life was turned upside down when career crook Henry Vincent broke into his three-bedroom house in the dead of night on April 4, 2018.
Former junkie Vincent, 37, had a long criminal record, appearing on Kent Police’s most wanted list, scamming the elderly with bogus DIY and even spending 10 years in jail.
But breaking into Mr Osborn-Brooks home would be his last crime and one that would ultimately cost his life.
He and another man awoke the OAP as they rummaged through the rooms of the family’s 1920s home.
However, they hadn’t banked on the pensioner having the guts to take them on and despite being 40 years their senior, he leapt into action.
It is believed Mr Osborn-Brooks grappled with Vincent before stabbing him to death with a screwdriver in self-defence.
CCTV later showed paramedics fighting to revive the burglar as he lay dying in road outside the home.
Mr Osborn-Brooks was arrested on suspicion of murder - causing utter uproar among the British public.
But while eventually the police saw sense and released him without charge – his ordeal had only just begun.
It emerged that Vincent’s family, and friends, were furious by his killing and allegedly planned to seek revenge.
The Osborn-Brooks left their home, boarded up the windows and moved away from the area.
Today Sun Online has revealed the couple sold their property for a cut price – as they desperately turn their backs on a happy life shattered.
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