There was another murder last Thursday in Islington. I say another because it’s the second in about two months that I can think of and there are several others that are coming to trial. I suppose this is an area with a history of notorious murders, what with Kenneth Halliwell doing Joe Orton (in both senses of the word)in Noel Road, Dr Crippin his wife up in Hilldrop Crescent and Charles Lamb’s wife her mother in Colebrooke Row (I think). So the dismembered body that some lads pulled out of the canal in April or was it March will be in good company. The kids in the corner shop were full of; “there was a leg with ‘alf a bum.”
First I knew something was up last week was when my wife came back from the cinema because Upper Street had been cordonned off by police. Then the yellow scene of crime signboards appeared calling for witnesses. The Islington Gazzette on 3rd June had its front page in black. There’s a big floral tribute on the corner of Theberton Street where Sunny Cracknell (23) finally bled to death. I often walk past there with my son in his pram and although I still love living here I don’t think we’ll hang around till he’s old enough to go fishing in the canal or walking down Upper Street at night.