Two men have been charged after 67-year-old Richard Payne died in hospital following a fight in Hornsey. Crisbond Gasper, 22, is charged with murder and Jesse Friedlander, 22, with manslaughter. Both were remanded in custody and were due to appear at Bromley Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, 13 October.
Police were called to Priory Road, N8, at about 8pm on Monday, 5 October, after reports of a fight. Officers and ambulance crews found Mr Payne with a head injury and took him to hospital. He died on Saturday, 10 October. His family is being supported by specialist officers.
A second man, aged 60, was also taken to hospital. The initial injury assessment described his injuries as neither life-threatening nor life-changing. The circumstances of the fight and the precise sequence of events have not been set out publicly in the information available.
Arrests and charges
Three men were arrested on 6 October on suspicion of grievous bodily harm. Two were subsequently charged with that offence. After Mr Payne’s death, those two men were rearrested on 11 October on suspicion of murder.
Gasper was charged with murder on 12 October. Friedlander was charged with manslaughter on the same day. The distinction reflects the separate charges brought against each defendant; neither charge is a finding of guilt. The case remains before the courts, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The third person arrested, an 18-year-old man, was released on bail while further enquiries continue. Police have not announced a charge against him in connection with Mr Payne’s death. The earlier grievous bodily harm charges against two men and the later homicide charges are separate procedural developments in the investigation; the publicly available details do not identify the alleged acts underlying each charge.
Investigation continues
Both charged men were remanded to appear at Bromley Magistrates’ Court. The listed appearance is an initial court step and does not determine the outcome of the case. The scheduled appearance does not establish a plea, a verdict or the course of later proceedings.
Detective Chief Inspector Phil Clarke, who is leading the investigation, urged anyone with information about Mr Payne’s death to contact police. The force said patrols in the area had been increased over the past week, with officers continuing to provide reassurance and respond to residents’ concerns.
Police have asked witnesses or anyone with relevant information to call 101 and quote CAD 6762/05OCT. Information can also be provided anonymously to Crimestoppers. The appeal concerns the investigation into the death; it does not imply that investigators have reached a conclusion about what happened.
The incident took place on a residential street in north London, but police have not published further detail about the reported fight, any relationship between those involved, or what led to the confrontation. The available account also does not establish whether anyone else witnessed the event. Those details remain matters for the investigation and any subsequent court proceedings.
For now, the confirmed developments are that Mr Payne died five days after being found injured, two defendants have been charged with different offences, and a third arrested man remains on bail pending enquiries. Any account of responsibility must remain subject to the criminal process.
