A
vicious knife-wielding burglar, who stabbed to death the fifty-year
resident of a smart home he raided, has been caged for life.
Joseph
Griffiths, 72, (pic.top) was stabbed twenty-two times in his
Hazlebury Road house in fashionable Fulham.
Aaron
De Silva, 22, (pic.bottom) of Warwick Road, Earl's Court was
convicted of murdering Mr. Griffiths during the early-morning
break-in on November 9, 2012.
Detective
Inspector Simon Pickford of the Homicide and Major Crime Command,
said: "De Silva is an extremely violent individual who had no
hesitation in stabbing the victim repeatedly in a frenzied and brutal
attack after he was disturbed having broken into Mr Griffiths' home.
"I
must pay tribute to Mr Griffiths' family who have been left utterly
devastated by what happened.
“They
have conducted themselves with the utmost restraint and dignity
throughout this tragic incident and my and my team's thoughts are
with them."
The
victim had enjoyed an evening out with his wife and visiting friends
the night before and at around 6:20am one of the guests was awoken by
a commotion and shouting that sounded like "get out" and
"who are you?"
Downstairs
they discovered the victim's wife sobbing and screaming and Mr
Griffiths lying in the hallway on his back with his dressing gown
covered in blood.
Police
and the ambulance service were called, but Mr Griffiths was
pronounced dead at the scene.
A
post-mortem examination later revealed the businessman, who had two
grown-up sons and seven grandchildren, died of multiple stab wounds.
Enquiries
revealed a pair of bolt croppers had been stolen from a neighbouring
garden shed overnight and the basement-level rear kitchen window of
the Griffiths' home had been forced with the handle of the bolt
croppers.
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| Deadly: Murder Weapon |
De
Silva had climbed over four garden walls and negotiated trellises and
hedges to get to the back of the Griffiths' house.
He
had then opened the back door ready for his escape.
The
murder weapon (pictured) – a lock knife was found near the murder
scene in Snowbury Road had a bloody handle that matched that of the
victim.
A
partial DNA profile matching De Silva was found on the handle.
CCTV
showed De Silva back at his hostel around an hour after the murder
listening to music, seemingly entirely unaffected by what he had just
done.
He
was arrested on November 13 and charged two days later.
In
an impact statement the victim's son Mark said: "The murder of
Joe in such a brutal and senseless manner has left a gaping hole not
only in our immediate family but also the families of all who knew
him.
"What
should have been a happy Saturday get-together for the whole family
was shattered by the numbing news of Joe's murder.
“Instead
of coming together as a family to share a meal we were gathered
together in very different circumstances that, even today over a year
hence, does not seem real.
"Writing
this some fifteen months after that dreadful day, those events were
real and we as a family are living with the devastating consequences
of that terrible act of violence.
“The
sudden loss of Joe has caused severe stress among all family members
and has especially hit his seven grandchildren.
"The
whole family, and our circle of friends, still feel a deep sorrow and
sense of loss since Joe's murder.
“Members
of our family have had to deal with recurring nightmares, triggered
by that fateful day.
“We
can only hope that with the passage of time these nightmares and
feelings will lessen.
"Judy
(mum) took the brave decision to return to the house where her
husband was murdered, trying to live her life as normally as
possible.
“This
is the house where she and Joe had lived for fifty years, where one
of her children was born and where both sons were raised.
"An
irreplaceable member of our thriving family business was lost.
Fifty
years of business experience and acumen gone in a wanton act of
mindless violence.
"He
is, and will always be, sorely missed by everyone."
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