Man charged while Walthamstow assault victim fights for life in hospital

Roger Kent, 52, of Lamorna Close in Walthamstow, will appear at Thames Magistrates Court later today charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent after the incident in the same road on Monday night.

A 29-year-old man was taken to hospital with head injuries after police were called to the scene at about 10.25pm, and he is still in a critical condition.

Sandra Deacon, 61, of Lamorna Close, said: “It’s awful. We heard raised voices but didn’t think much of it until the ambulance came.

“It’s bad news for the community. It’s very scary for families. I feel terrible for the family of the young man, I hope he’ll recover.”

The Guardian understands the 29-year-old lives with his family in a block of flats just off the road, but no-one inside said they knew the family.

People praised paramedics for their quick arrival on scene but criticised police, claiming they arrived hours after the event.

A woman who did not want to be named for fear of her safety said: “They took ages. It was 13 police all doing nothing.

“It could have been a gun thing, it could have been a knife attack, but by the time police came people could have been dead.”

Erol Satilmis, a 29-year-old who has lived in the road for 17 years, said the community would feel safer with security cameras after the incident.

He said: “It’s crazy to think this has happened here. It’s not a bad road at all. It’s surprising, I’m a bit shocked.

“I just hope he will get through it. If there was some CCTV cameras at the top of the road that would help, the whole thing would’ve been caught on film.”

Lamorna Close and a section of Hale End Road were closed until early evening yesterday while forensics teams conducted an investigation.

A police spokeswoman said: "Police were called at 10.25pm. We believe that the incident happened ten minutes earlier. The victim had already been conveyed to hospital prior to police being notified of the incident. No weapon was used."