Croydon stabbing victim named

Police are questioning a 22-year-old man after a father was stabbed to death as he travelled with his three-year-old daughter to hospital to visit his wife who had given birth just hours earlier. The deceased man has been named as 26-year-old John Nii Kacsu Abbey, a boxer from the Croydon area. The little girl was left standing in horror as paramedics desperately tried to save her father's life on the pavement in west Croydon, south London on Thursday. The pair were travelling to the nearby Mayday Hospital where her baby brother had been born hours earlier. Detectives said the victim became involved in an argument with a second man, believed to be a former colleague, before the fatal blow was struck. A 22-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder after handing himself in at a south London police station. Police are hunting two teenagers wearing hooded tops who fled the scene and may have been involved in the scuffle. A post mortem revealed the victim died of a single stab wound to the heart. Security guards at a nearby office last night described how they took the little girl away. One staff member said that the three-year-old was "in shock, her eyes were wide open". She was muttering under her breath occasional words like "mum" and "Mayday". The victim, who was originally from Ghana, was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead less than an hour later. A white forensic tent was erected over the bus stop and blue-suited forensics were examining the bus shelter and timetable for evidence. Police found a number of knives in the area and were also reviewing CCTV footage from several cameras. Detective Chief Inspector Cliff Lyons, who is leading the investigation, said the circumstances had left him and other officers extremely shocked. He said the tragedy must "prick people's consciences" and encourage them to come forward with any information they have.

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ITN | January 31, 2009

Tags:. .nii. .muttering. .prick. .mayday. .scuffle