A mother has been stabbed to death in a violent attack as she was on her way to work.
Alison Morrison, 45, suffered knife wounds all over her body as she was ambushed less than half a mile from her home.
Her neighbour, satellite TV engineer Trevor Gibbon, 48, was arrested by police, who found a large bloody kitchen knife nearby.
He had a big knife in his hands, I saw it flashing. It went on for about a minute at least. It’s just so sad. It was awful.’
The
row was apparently ignited when the local council repaved the street,
but did not drop the kerb leading on to the driveway. This led the
neighbours to argue about who could park where.
As it spiralled out of control, the pair, who apparently used to be close, stopped talking to each other.
Dsipute: Residents said Mrs Morrison
had been locked in an increasingly bitter dispute with satellite TV
engineer Trevor Gibbon over a shared driveway between their £410,000
end-of-terrace houses (pictured)
Letter: Mr Gibbon and his partner Maria Perrett had written to neighbours about a CCTV system weeks ago
Other
residents in the street in Harrow, north-west London, said matters got
worse after Mrs Morrison’s husband Cedric, 46, who underwent a kidney
transplant several years ago, put up a bright security light.
A
year ago Mr Gibbon’s partner, 52-year-old school teacher Maria Perrett,
gave neighbours a handwritten letter saying they had installed a CCTV
camera.
Last night, one resident said: ‘It has been going on for a couple of years.
‘One had set up CCTV cameras and the other had a security light that seemed to be bothering them.
‘The road got re-paved and there was an argument about the shared driveway and who could park where.
‘One of them would park their car in a way that agitated the other.
Investigation: Police at the scene where the fatal stabbing took place in Harrow, north London
Tragedy: The victim lived in a quiet cul-de-sac two streets from where she was stabbed on her way to work
‘I
never saw them rowing in the street but everyone was aware of it
because they used to speak to each other but now they don’t. Things
seemed to have eased and I thought it was resolved.’
Another
neighbour said: ‘It was all to do with the shared drive. The road and
pavement was replaced and the curb wasn’t dropped – I think it was
something to do with access.
‘Last
year or the early part of this year I saw them outside talking about it
but they weren’t shouting and arguing, just talking.’
Mrs Morrison’s family were too upset to speak last night as police stood outside their home.
Just
yards away, forensic experts were searching through bins in the shared
driveway between their homes, which was cordoned off with police tape.
Mrs
Morrison, who had a 16-year-old son, Kori, was a senior manager at
consumer organisation Which? as well as a dedicated volunteer and
adviser to charities.
Death: The woman was stabbed in Alexandra Avenue, a main thoroughfare through Harrow, north London
Earlier this year, she joined her local safer neighbourhood board, which aims to cut crime and tackle antisocial behaviour.
Neighbours said they were ‘devastated’ at her death.
Describing her a ‘nice girl’, one added: ‘This is such a shock to me.
‘Especially
in the run up to Christmas. We only received a Christmas card from her
yesterday.’ Mrs Morrison’s sister, Julie Brathwaite, 51, rushed from her
home in Waterlooville, Hampshire, to be with her brother-in-law and
nephew last night.
One family friend said: ‘Everyone is in bits. We cannot believe what has happened.’
A Met spokesman said a 48-year-old man was being held at a north-west London police station on suspicion of murder.
Killed: Alison Morrison, 45, lay
fatally wounded in a pool of blood this morning as others rushed to her
aid near her home in Harrow, north London. Her neighbour, satellite TV
engineer Trevor Gibbon, 48, was arrested
Other
residents claimed that the pair had been locked in an increasingly
bitter dispute over a shared driveway between their £410,000
end-of-terrace houses.
One
witness of the horrific attack, which took place during yesterday
morning’s rush hour, said: ‘She was on the floor and a man was on top of
her, attacking her.
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