Lee Moriarty

Don’t blame youth for  death of ‘diamond’ Lee

Mayor defends Queen’s Crescent following brutal beating

THE mayor Jill Fraser has defended Queen’s Crescent against claims it is riddled with drug-fuelled violence, following the killing of Lee Moriarty.

The 27-year-old died in the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead from head injuries after being beaten by a gang in Queen’s Crescent on June 10, near the Blue Sea Fish Bar, where Councillor Fraser works part-time.

Cllr Fraser, a Lib Dem, dismissed suggestions there was a wall of silence in the investigation (see page 5) and said she believed the suspects came from elsewhere. She said she did not want local youngsters to all be “tarnished with the same brush”.

She said: “We don’t have much violence in the area. We are trying to be inclusive with the kids. When you talk to most of them they are really friendly. We haven’t had violence like this for years. There have been some awful things that have happened in the past, but sadly violence is on the up everywhere.

“Kids come here to hang around in the street from all over the place so you can’t tell who was involved. It is the elderly who are the most concerned.”

Shortly before he was attacked Mr Moriarty, who was known as a heavy drinker, was seen smashing the window of a Costcutter supermarket after being ejected.

A childhood friend of Mr Moriarty described him as a “diamond geezer” who had faced hard times in recent years.

She said: “When he was growing up he was always really polite and good looking and I knew people who fancied him. It is so sad, particularly for his partner who is very upset about it.”

She added that he had been popular as a pupil at Haverstock School but had become a heavy drinker in the last few years. Mr Moriarty’s girlfriend Lynn Grice was seen leaving an England flag amongst the bouquets of flowers laid in Queen’s Crescent where Mr Moriarty was left for dead.

A Malden Road resident said the killing had been a “jolt to the community”. “The area had been getting a lot better but community feeling has become quite fragile,” he said.

He added that new stalls at Queen’s Crescent street market had injected some life into the area and made the area feel “less empty”.

Labour councillor Roy Shaw told the New Journal: “It has been getting safer around here and I hope to God this was an isolated incident. It would be sad if there were youngsters involved as there is an enormous amount for young people to do in this area. There are various football pitches, the whole of Talacre and the Queen’s Crescent Community Association provide training for them.” Cllr Shaw added drugs were still a “huge problem” in the area.

Shopkeepers in Queen’s Crescent have called for more CCTV cameras to be erected, particularly at the Malden Road end of the street.

Sharhabeel Lone of the Kentish Town Community Association said petty crime had gone down in recent years but drug problems remained widespread. He said more police officers and CCTV cameras were desperately needed. “What has surprised me is police patrols were increased but we now see less of them about,” he said.

“Reduction in crime is a direct result of having enough youth activities.” Mr Lone said that full enforcement of Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (Asbos) on drug dealers was also needed. He blamed students living at nearby halls of residence for buying drugs and encouraging dealers to flock to the area.