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Hornchurch pub death: Councillor tried to save Oggy
Aiden Mahoney, known to friends as Oggy, was stabbed on Sunday - Credit: Archant
A brave councillor tried to save Aiden “Oggy” O’Mahoney’s life after he was stabbed in a packed Hornchurch pub while watching his beloved Spurs play.
Cllr Julie Wilkes - Credit: Archant
Cllr Julie Wilkes, a Residents’ Association member for Elm Park, was enjoying a quiet drink in JJ Moon’s, High Street, Hornchurch, on Sunday afternoon when she heard a commotion from over by the TV screen.
Cranham resident Aiden, 60, had been stabbed once through the heart.
Police at the scene of the stabbing - Credit: Archant
“I got out my seat and went over, calling the police and ambulance on the way,” said Julie. “My heart dropped when I saw him.
“I immediately got down on my knees – a woman named Sue Lowe was carrying out CPR and I told her I was first aid trained and together we continued until the paramedics arrived.
“He wasn’t breathing but we got him back and I was saying ‘come on darling’.
“It seemed like seconds but it must have been a minute or two. Staff were blocking the wound with their blue towels to try and stem the blood.
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“I really thought he was going to make it. It’s horrendous to think how he died.”
Speaking to the Recorder, Aiden’s step-daughter Louise Tonks spoke of the family’s devastation.
She said: “This act has torn the family apart. He was a gentle giant who was well known and respected, especially in Cranham and Hornchurch.”
A Wetherspoon spokesman said staff and customers were deeply shocked by the incident, which happened while punters were watching the Tottenham Hotspur v Leicester City FA Cup match.
He said: “We pass on our sympathy to the friends and family of the victim. We also praise staff and customers who tried to help the victim before paramedics arrived.”
The pub closed until Tuesday while detectives investigated.
Abbs Cross Gardens and Favorite Chicken and Ribs, St Nicholas Avenue, Elm Park were also taped off on Monday while forensics combed for evidence.
