Henry Vincent funeral: Police pin teenager to the ground after 'eggs and rocks thrown at reporters'

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Martin Coulter3 May 2018
WEST END FINAL

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Police officers tackled a teenager to the ground after violence erupted outside the funeral for stabbed burglar Henry Vincent.

Today, a funeral procession of black limousines left Vincent’s house in Swanley to travel to St Mary’s Church, near his family home in Orpington, Kent.

A Met Police spokesman said a male, believed to be in his teens, was arrested on suspicion of assault at 1.15pm on Orpington High Street. He has been released pending investigation.

Tensions mounted outside the church as mourners reportedly "threw eggs and rocks" at the press.

Police pin a man to the ground outside Henry Vincent's funeral
Tony Kershaw / SWNS.com

LBC's Mike Hughes told the station: "Chaos has descended here. In my 10 years as a journalist, I have never felt so under threat.

Tensions ran high between the police and Vincent mourners
SWNS

"I've had bottles thrown in my face. I am covered in egg, which was pelted at me.

Police patrol where Henry Vincent was killed whilst burgling a house 
PA

"It all came from members of the funeral cortege. I was surrounded by people who were very angry, very upset and became very violent, very quickly."

Vincent was killed while robbing a pensioner's home in Hither Green
EPA
Around 200 people are believed to have attended the funeral
PA

Vincent, 37, was stabbed during a struggle with pensioner at Richard Osborn-Brooks’ home in Hither Green on April 4. He died at the scene.

Birthday tributes to Hither Green burglar taken down

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Officials said the procession was not expected to pass Mr Osborn-Brooks’s home and residents were asked to move the cars.

One resident, named only as "Dave", said: "I'm just a concerned local resident...I believe [the funeral] is due to happen to take place between 1.30pm and 2.30pm but we've planned to have people here all day."

He told ITV: "Unless the police are going to stand here physically and stop me doing it then I'm gonna carry on blocking the road.

"Rather than driving around wasting petrol, they could just park up here."

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