Murder probe after man is stabbed to death in west London

Detectives launched a murder investigation today after a young man was stabbed to death after a row in an off-licence.

Police were called to a parade of shops in a residential street in Perivale, west London, at 8.13pm last night after reports of a stabbing.

They found a man aged 23 at the scene suffering from a stab wound to the chest.

Witnesses told how paramedics, including a doctor from the London Air Ambulance, worked for up to an hour in a desperate bid to save him.

The 23-year-old was taken to hospital but died at 10.25pm.

It is understood the victim was stabbed in an off-licence on Bilton Road and then collapsed on the pavement after staggering out of the shop.

Patricia Hidalgo said: “He was laying on the ground and the paramedics were working on him for about an hour. It was really horrible to see. I could not see him moving, they were trying to desperately hard.

“They just kept going, they did their best.”

More than 40 young people under the age of 25 have been murdered in London this year, many of them stabbed to death.

A cordon remained in police around the shops on Bilton Road today as detectives scoured the area for clues.

The victim was treated outside the home of Roshan Lal who described the scene as “horrific.”

He added: “I have lived here for 15 years but I had never seen anything like this. Guys hang around and have a drink but I have never seen violence like this here.”

Cafe owner Kenny Dodd said: “We are all a bit shocked. It’s not too bad around here. There are groups who hang around the shops to drink but no gangs as such.

“The first we knew was loads of police arriving on the scene. It was out of the blue really. There has been petty crime in the area and some street drinking but nothing like this.”

Police have been conducting door to door enquiries in the area to appeal for witnesses.

Anyone with information should call police on 101 or ring Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.