Man in court charged with murder after Uxbridge dog walker killing

An Afghan man has been remanded into custody after he was charged with the murder of a dog walker in west London.

Safi Dawood appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday after he was charged with murdering Wayne Broadhurst as well as two counts of attempted murder.

Officers and paramedics were called to reports of a triple stabbing at about 5pm in Midhurst Gardens, Uxbridge, on Monday. Broadhurst, a 14-year-old boy and a 45-year-old man were treated at the scene for stab wounds.

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The man remains in hospital with life-changing injuries and the teenager has been discharged, the Metropolitan Police said on Wednesday evening.

Mr Dawood was not known to Broadhurst, who died at the scene, but was known to the other two alleged victims, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.

The 22-year-old, of Midhurst Gardens, has also been charged with one count of possessing an offensive weapon and appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday morning.

Dawood appeared in the dock wearing a grey T-shirt and grey trousers and sat hunched over during the brief hearing.

He was arrested at the scene on Monday but required hospital treatment after “suffering a medical episode”, police said, adding that he was later taken back to custody.

Dawood was remanded in custody on Thursday and will appear at the Old Bailey within the next 48 hours.

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Neighbours paid tribute to the victim. “I’ve been here two years and would see him walk past the window,” one neighbour who did not want to be named said.

She described him as “the last person on Earth that you would think somebody would go for”.

She said she took some flowers and a box of shortbread over for his wife and added: “I still can’t get over it.

“If he was five or 10 minutes later taking the dog out, would the same thing have happened?”

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A local resident told the Daily Mail: “He’s well known around here. He’s a lovely guy, very gentle and peaceful.”

The managing director of Broadhurst’s place of work paid tribute to him as a “dedicated member of our team”.

Katarina Pohancenikova, from Greener Ealing Ltd, which provides waste services to Ealing Council, said in a statement: “This is a devastating loss. Wayne was a well-respected and dedicated member of our team who made a real contribution to the work we do and to the residents we serve.”

A group of around 100 mourners gathered to lay flowers near the police tape at the junction between Midhurst Gardens and Leybourne Road on Tuesday night, with some lighting candles.