A gang of thugs stabbed and beat a painter before

A gang of thugs stabbed and beat a painter before leaving him for dead after a motiveless rush hour attack, the Old Bailey heard today.

(Tues)

John Hopwood, 21, was set upon by four men after leaving a friend’s flat to move his car before a traffic warden gave him a parking ticket.

John Tripp, 20, was allegedly among the group who assaulted Mr Hopwood so badly he lost a kidney.

Jurors heard how the gang attacked him with a knife and a piece of wood measuring 14 inches in length.

Mr Hopwood was repeatedly beaten and stabbed twice in the back, jurors heard.

He ‘staggered’ over the road and collapsed after the incident near Arden House, Pitfield Street, Shoreditch, east London on October 3, last year.

His attackers then ran off as two builders who had witnessed the attack gave chase in their van, the court heard.

But Tripp was caught after spots of blood found by a
nearby newspaper stall matched his DNA profile, jurors were told.

Witnesses who saw the gang escape noticed one of them was holding a nine inch knife as he fled the scene, the court heard.

The attack took place in broad daylight during a Tuesday afternoon rush hour on a street packed with traffic, jurors were told.

Louise Kamill, prosecuting, said: ‘The victim had parked his red Ford Ka on a yellow line directly outside the flat he was visiting and was able to see the car from the front window.

‘He jumped out of the window and leapt over the railings to get to his car when he saw the traffic wardens.

‘He was then viciously attacked by a group of white youths from a short distance away.

‘They ran up to him and hit him with a large piece of wood measuring 14 inches by two inches.

‘Each of the four attacked the victim as he fell to the ground kicking him in the head and legs.

‘The fourth attacker then punched him in his side and he was stabbed twice in the back causing him serious injuries.

‘The victim then staggered to the other side of the road where he collapsed.

‘Two builders watching what was going on from their van then got out to step in.

‘The four boys then ran off down Pitfield Street.

‘The builders followed them in their van.

‘They saw one of the boys had a claw hammer.

‘At one point the builders challenged the boys saying: ‘What’s going on’.

‘The boys replied: ”Come on then” and then added ”Butt out.

It’s personal.

”

But the builders then gave up the chase after the boys ran down a one way road.

The gang ran past a paper seller who later noticed blood spots on the ground around his stand, the court heard.

Miss Kamill said: ‘The police took swabs of the blood found at the newspaper stand.

‘The DNA extracted that matches that of John Tripp.

‘The odds of the blood coming from someone other than him are more than a billion to one.

‘He left these tell tale signs at the scene of the crime.

‘The victim was taken to hospital and had a series of operations.

‘One of his kidneys was damaged beyond repair causing him to lose it during the course of the operations.

‘We cannot explain a motive in this attack.

‘Mr Hopwood remembers nothing.

He was on his way to get his car and then he finds himself in hospital.

‘

Tripp, of (1Q) Peabody Estate, Roscoe Street, Islington, denies attempted murder and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

The trial continues.

ends