Three stabbed to death in weekend of bloodshed across Britain
16 December 2019, 10:15
Three people were stabbed to death over the weekend in a spate of violence across Britain.
Two men were fatally knifed in London, with a woman also injured during one incident, while a 17-year-old boy was killed in Bristol.
A man has been charged with murder following after Dmytro Balaban, 28, was knifed to death on Saturday night in Brent, north west London.
Volodymyr Hololvatskyi, 23, was arrested in the early hours of Sunday and will appear at Willesden Magistrates' Court on Monday.
Another man, Viorel Stefan, 49, was killed in Dagenham, east London, on Saturday night.
I’ll be on @LBC reporting from Brent this morning as two more men were stabbed to death in London this weekend.
— Rachael Venables (@rachaelvenables) December 16, 2019
By our records that’s now 79 people who’ve died after being stabbed in the capital this year - already three more than the number who lost their lives in 2018. pic.twitter.com/3UknahFX6r
A 55-year-old woman was also injured during the attack, but her injuries were not life-threatening.
Vasile Firanda, 59, has been charged with murder and will appear at Barkingside Magistrates' Court on Monday.
A teenager was found with a knife wound to the chest in Bedminster, Bristol, in broad daylight on Saturday.
The victim was taken to hospital but died a short time later.
A 14-year-old boy has been arrested in connection with the incident around 1.30pm on Saturday.
The force said a forensic post-mortem examination and formal identification would take place later.
Specialist crime scene investigators examined the area on Saturday as well as an address in Parson Street where the assault took place.
Detective Inspector Phil Walker, who is leading the investigation, said: "We're carrying out a full investigation into what is clearly a very tragic incident.
"Our thoughts are with the boy's family as they come to terms with their loss and specially trained family liaison officers will be providing them with support.
"We believe this is an isolated incident involving people known to each other.
"A 14-year-old has been arrested in connection with the incident and he is also being provided with the appropriate support while he remains in custody.
"I'd like to thank local residents for the support they provided to officers yesterday and the patience and understanding they showed us as cordons were put in place while we responded to the incident.
"I appreciate this incident will shock people and neighbourhood officers will be patrolling the area to provide reassurance.
"Should anyone have any concerns about this incident I encourage them to contact their local neighbourhood team or visit their local police station."
