Stabbing: Neighbour Had \'Feared Burglary\'
 

A man who claims he was terrified and defending his home in the middle of the night could be charged with murder after he stabbed the neighbour who was trying to get into his house.

Edwin Pitkin, from Enfield, north London, was woken in the early hours of Saturday by the sound of 32-year-old Mark Woods apparently trying to force his way into the house.

Mr Pitkin is understood to have thought it was a burglar, so he picked up a knife and went downstairs, wearing just his underwear, while his wife dialled 999 from their bedroom.

In the ensuing moments, Mr Woods, a forklift truck driver, was stabbed and has since died.

Mr Woods had recently moved into a flat four doors away and might have been trying to enter the Pitkins' house, believing it was his own.

It is thought he had been drinking heavily in a nearby pub.

Neighbours have described Mr Pitkin as a quiet and friendly man, who lives for his children - Samantha, 27 and Leon, 25.

Friends of Mark Woods have spoken of his history of drunken violence and said that he also used drugs.

Should Mr Pitkin be charged and subsequently tried with the murder of Mark Woods, it would not be the first time a jury has deliberated over a plea of self-defence to murder.

Norfolk farmer Tony Martin has served three years in prison for manslaughter after shooting a 16-year-old boy, who had broken into his property.

And shopkeeper Tony Singh had charges of murder against him dropped by police after he killed a robber with a knife.

Under British law, there are specific guidelines for assaulting someone or causing death in self-defence.

It advises that "individuals, serving in good faith to defend themselves, their family, their property, or in the prevention of crime are not prosecuted for such action".

The Homicide and Serious Crime Command are investigating the circumstances surrounding Mr Woods' death and Mr Pitkin is due to return to a London police station later this month.


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So what do you think? Should he be charged with murder? Or should he get off as he was defending himself and his home?

What a biased article. Pitkin should be tried and hopefully convicted.

The other man (who died) shouldn't have been trying to get into someone elses home so IMO he deserved to die and the man defending his home deserves to get away with it.

IMO people who break or attempt to break into someone elses property should lose their human rights and law protection the moment they begin to try and break in. Its a bad situation to be in, one that you wouldn't be in in the first place if they had stayed away and not tried to break in like they shouldn't do anyway.

Friends of Mark Woods have spoken of his history of drunken violence and said that he also used drugs.


If he didn't defend himself than the burglar Mark woods could of stabbed him instead having a history of drunken violence no one knows what he was cable of.So i think he was right to defend himself in his own property.

:shocked:

Tha article said that Woods had recently moved to the area and might have thought it was his own house.

What does his history of heavy drinking have to do with anything? What are we supposed to read into that? That article blatantly tries to discredit a dead man. How low is that?

You don't force your way into your own home.

My thoughts might be shocking but I think its right. Breaking into someone elses home is a violation of privacy and some people become traumatised from the experience and its not fair on them.

He shouldn't have been trying to break in in the first place.

Maybe he forgot his keys!!!!

So he deserves to die?!

If someone broke into your house do you immediately pick up a knife and go and stab them or would you try and ward them off first?

It is shocking. That doesn't give you the right to murder someone.

If he'd stabbed him after being attacked and it was self defence, that'd be one thing.

Exactly.

There is always a lot hysteria surrounding stories like this. Taking a life must have consequences

I know people that have been broken into and as a consequence have been traumatised from the experience. They tried to redecorate the whole house to get rid of everything that was there and the people could have touched but that never worked. They had to move out of their own home because they were scared it was going to happen again. And every moment at night when they remained in the home they were constantly up looking out of the windows making sure nobody was around. They wouldn't even leave the house with nobody inside it anymore!

I know they aren't the only people to go through that, so they won't be the only people to have similar consequences from it and its not fair. Whos to say that wouldn't have happened in this example?

Some people who break into the homes of others ruin lives in the process, so IMO their lives should be ruined as well.

And personally, no I wouldn't try and warn them off. I wouldn't use a knife and stab them to death either. I would get more pleasure from doing it myself or using a baseball bat and killing them and if that means doing time afterwards then so be it.

And I don't buy the "he thought it was his own house" story either. You don't go to the wrong house 4 doors down and expect it to be yours no matter what drunken or drugged up state you are in.

So if I'm traumatised enough, Tom you think that gives me the right to murder someone?

As for his story, he has no rights now because he's dead, so his story can never be told.

I actually find your 2nd to last paragraph a tad worrying tbh.

This is a very disturbing post.

There could be hundreds of reasons why he went to that house but as far as you're concerned he deserved to die and thats it.

That's perhaps the most obscene thing I've ever read.

****, Tom. :tongue:

-serious-

Was the forklift-driver guy acting threatening, or brandishing a weapon? No. Was he in a clear state of mind? No.

So this guy, Pitkins if I remember correctly, should be imprisoned. Who the Hell gets a knife when going downstairs to confront a burglar? A large item like a curtain pole or whatever, sure, but not a knife :shocked:

This article isn't very good though...it doesn't give any details of what happened between him going downstairs and the man dying.

Exactly what I was thinking!

He was thinking about killing who ever it was that was in his house, no matter what they were doing there. For that reason Pitkin must be tried and hopefully convicted.

This is one of those stories that you never really know what really happened.

If this guy has gone to try and get into what he believes is his home in a drunken state and finds someone who he thinks is a stranger in his home then maybe he would react violently.

This "innocent" man was in his house and heard noises outside, so why not phone the police and wait inside his door to stop anyone entering, surely that would be the sane thing to do. He had time and the thought to go and get a knife! this wasnt someone grabbing the nearset thing to hand really was it?

I think we all have the right to defend our homes and families but it worries me in this instance that the innocent killer had the forethought to go and get himself armed before responding to this guy "trying" to get into his home. The article says he picked up a knife and went downstairs, does that mean he keeps a knife in his bedroom. Lets also remember this other guy who has died was not actually in the property he was trying to enter.

I agree. You only resort to that if you have no other option. It's sad though because we will only hear one side of the story.

Here is another tabloids story.

A "quiet" Dad faces jail after being accused of killing a drunken drug addict neighbour he feared was a burglar.

Edwin Pitkin was woken in the early hours when Mark Woods tried to force open his front door - mistaking it for his own home four houses away.

Mr Pitkin, 58, ran downstairs in his boxer shorts to tackle him as terrified wife Thelma dialled 999.

It is believed he picked up a knife before confronting Woods - who had a history of violence and had been on a 12 hour drink and drugs binge to celebrate his 33rd birthday today.

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When police arrived early on Saturday Woods was dead from a wound that pierced his heart.

Mr Pitkin - who neighbours called "quiet and friendly" - was arrested and quizzed then released on bail yesterday. He was warned he could be charged with murder.

But last night Woods's flatmate said he believed Mr Pitkin acted in self defence. And he revealed that Woods had repeatedly attacked people since being released from six months' jail for threatening a barman with an axe. Derek Kamacho, 44, who lives in the same rundown bedsit house in Enfield, North London, said: "I can take care of myself and Mark even scared me so God knows what those poor people felt when they saw him in that state.

"Mark was a massive bloke and he could fight. I can imagine the guy was terrified. Who could blame him for wanting to protect himself?

"Mark shouldn't have been there. This was an accident waiting to happen." He added: "When Mark drank too much he blacked out ... that was when he was his most violent.

"I've lost count of the number of times he had me up against the wall or came back from the pub with a black eye and cuts.

"He drank to get drunk. On top of that he'd smoke crack or heroin and after that he was out of control and violent." Mr Kamacho said forklift driver Woods had spent 12 hours taking class A drugs and downing superstrong cider at home and in The Goat pub nearby.

He added: "On Friday he went to work but they sent him home because he was too drunk. After that he just went mad, downing litre after litre of cider."

Neighbours said Mr Pitkin is a "gentle" dad who lives for Thelma and children Samantha, 27, and Leon, 25.

Tony Bozbay said: "They're lovely people, really quiet and friendly. He'd never do anything to harm anyone."

Mr Pitkin refused to comment as he left Chingford police station. His solicitor Steve Law said: "He is saying somebody tried to get in.

"He went out to confront him and ... protect himself and his wife and this has happened." Police said: "Enquiries are ongoing to establish the circumstances."


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Again, another blatant attempt to discredit Woods. There are alot of people talking about what Woods has done in the past but no one knows if his intention was to rob the house. In fact Woods crime were violent crimes not burglary. This makes the story still inconclusive.

So what are your thoughts Baz? You haven't commented.

LOL, some flatmate!

Well, we won't know for sure what happened now. However it is quite possible after that amount to get the wrong house believe me, I've almost done the same and that was just on drink alone.

And was he really most violent when he blacked out because you'd tend to assume someone that was blacked out not really doing anything.

And I'm sorry, you just don't pick up a knife and stab someone, especially in the heart. He was obviously scared and not thinking rationally. He tackled him when really he should have stayed back, at least asked what he was doing there and only resorted to that if he had no other choice.

The jury would have to be satisfied he had no other choice other than to attack so violently.

A differing report from The Daily Mail:

A drunk was stabbed to death by a terrified neighbour who mistook him for a burglar as he returned to the wrong house, it was claimed today.

Mark Woods, who would have been 33 today, was coming back from a night of early birthday celebrations when, instead of going to his own house, he tried to unlock the front door of Edwin Pitkin's home.

Hearing the noise, 58-year-old Mr Pitkin allegedly grabbed a knife and a fight broke out in which Mr Woods was fatally stabbed.

Mr Woods, a forklift driver, had only recently moved into the street in Enfield, North London, and appears to have been confused about which address was his.

Yesterday a housemate of Mr Woods, who did not want to be named, claimed: "Mark did like his booze - but he was a happy drunk. No one could mistake him for a burglar."

He said it was the second time Mr Woods had tried to get into the wrong house after a night out.

The housemate said: "Mark spent all Friday drinking. He had bottles of cider lined up in his room and when I spoke to him in the afternoon he had clearly had too much to drink.

"But he said he was going in to work. I heard a knock on my door 20 minutes later and he said they had sent him home. A bit later he asked me to go out to the pub with him. He was saying, "Listen, it's my birthday, let's go out and celebrate'.

"I didn't feel like going out and that's the last I saw of him.

"I wondered where he was just after midnight because he always makes a racket when he comes in and the next thing I knew someone was knocking on my door saying the police were in the street."

The friend said Mr Woods had been the victim of a tragic misunderstanding, adding: "He is more likely to hug you than anything else and I don't understand how he could be mistaken for a burglar."

He added: "Mark was looking forward to his birthday and he was planning to go to his mum's in Barnet for Mother's Day."

Police said a man had been questioned over the incident.


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