Parliament attack victim Leslie Rhodes was Winston Churchill's window cleaner, friends reveal

Chirchill: Mr Rhodes was the window cleaner of the former PM
Evening Standard/Getty Images
Chloe Chaplain25 March 2017

The 75-year-old man killed in the Westminster terror attack was the former window cleaner of Winston Churchill, friends have revealed.

Leslie Rhodes, from south London, died a day after being seriously injured when terrorist Khalid Masood mowed down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge.

He had been attending an appointment at St Thomas’s Hospital when Masood went on a rampage – killing four and injuring 50.

He suffered broken ribs and a punctured lung in the attack. He died after falling into a coma.

Westminster floral tributes

1/7

Friends of Mr Rhodes today told how he was a “kind and gentle” man who had worked as a window cleaner in Croydon for 20 years.

They said that he had been “proud” that one of his long-term clients had been the former Prime Minister.

A client and friend of his Janine Roebuck told MailOnline: “Les was my much loved window cleaner for 20 years.

“You couldn't wish to meet a kinder, gentler man. He cleaned the windows of Chartwell - Winston Churchill's home - for many years.

Killer: Masood
Metropolitan Police

“It was something he was so proud of.”

Mrs Roebuck said that Mr Rhodes would still clean the windows of former clients and friends, despite being retired.

London attack: Trafalgar Square vigil

1/16

“He was retired but would still do a few favours for people I suppose. He was more of a friend.”

Speaking of his death, she said: “It's tragic. I'm very sorrowful not to see him again and that such a sweet soul met such a horrible death.

Victim: Kurt Cochran

“He was a very gentle and shy person. He was warm and always smiling and it was a joy to see him on a monthly basis.

“He was a gentleman in every sense of the word.”

Victim: PC Palmer posing with tourists 
Will Robins/Tyler Chapperley-Russell

Mr Rhodes is said to have moved to Clapham in the 1970s but had never married or had children of his own.

His neighbours and friends were at his bedside at the time of his death.

Victim: Aysha Frade, 43, was also killed  
Facebook

As well as Mr Rhodes, Masood killed American tourist Kurt Cochran, Spanish mother-of-two Aysha Frade and PC Keith Palmer – whom he stabbed at the gates of Parliament.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT