Bloodied pavement is just latest grim episode for trauma-hit New Addington
By Harrison Galliven, Local Democracy Reporter
Parents in New Addington have said they fear for the safety of their children after a week in which a stabbing left blood trails on the school run and two murderers were sentenced for one of the most shocking crimes London has seen in recent years.
The Croydon neighbourhood is still reeling from the murder of Sarah Mayhew, whose body was cut up and scattered in a local field, her killers being sentenced to a whole-life order and life sentence respectively.
Even as they tried to come to terms with that, parents were forced to step over blood trails on the school run, following a stabbing at the weekend which left a man with life-changing injuries.
One parent said they faced the grim consequences of violent crime as they made their way to Applegarth School on Monday morning, saying some parents and kids had to step over the blood trails.
She said: “It’s horrible to think we live in a place where this happens. It’s not too far away from us. A couple of my friends walked on the blood, it was right outside their houses.”
Bob Bradley, who has lived in New Addington since 1971, said: “It never used to be like this, crime is getting worse. They need to put life back into New Addington because there’s nothing anymore for the kids.”
Emergency services were called to Lodge Lane at around 10.50pm on Sunday, following reports of a knife attack. Upon arrival, police found a man in his 40s with heavy blood loss who was rushed to hospital.
The Met has confirmed that a 23-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder in connection with the stabbing and is currently in custody.
Many residents feel violent crime has become all too familiar in the area. One resident, Gary Pearson, took to Facebook to ask: “When is it going to stop?” While another, Mlo Dox, said: “Just another day in Croydon.”
This latest incident is part of a disturbing trend of violence linked to the area, including the tragic murder of Sarah Mayhew, 38, whose remains were discovered in Rowdown Field last year.
Previously convicted murderer Steve Sansom and New Addington native Gemma Watts were handed lengthy sentences in relation to her murder at the Old Bailey last week.
Builder Steve Sansom, 45, was out on a life licence when he murdered Ms Mayhew and scattered her remains. Sansom, who had previously murdered a taxi driver in 1998, and his partner, Watts, 49, both pleaded guilty to murder and perverting the course of justice by dismembering Ms Mayhew’s body.
Mrs Justice Cutts sentenced Sansom to a whole-life order, meaning he will never be released, while Watts was handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 30 years.
New Addington was also the focus of the court’s attention in December, when Shane Canavan, 23, and his half-brother Joshua Langley, 29, of Purley, were sentenced to life for murdering Bradley Hutchins, 22, and seriously injuring Calum Hutchins, 19, in September 2023.
The impact of Hutchins’ murder on the area is evidenced by a moving memorial left by residents outside the New Addington Fire Station.
New Addington has been associated a number of times with particularly disturbing crimes, including the murder of 12-year-old Tia Sharp by her grandmother’s boyfriend Stuart Hazell, who hid her body in the loft while holding press conferences about wanting to find her safe, was arguably the most distressing example.
But having also dealt with the murder of Isabelle Lewis whose body parts were scattered on Addington Court Golf Course, and Lisa Pearce who was found murdered after neighbours had been involved in a desperate search for her – New Addington has a difficult history.
Pictured top: Half-brothers Shane Canavan and Joshua Langley from Purley were found guilty of murdering 20-year-old Bradley Hutchins in New Addington back in September (Picture: LDRS)