Man found guilty of East Ham attacks on pensioners

A man who moved in with his grandmother after she became terminally ill has been found guilty of brutally attacking three people – including two pensioners – in East Ham.

Kyrone Joseph, 23, of Victoria Avenue, East Ham, was convicted of two counts of causing grievous bodily harm and one count of wounding with intent following a trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court.

The court heard how Joseph moved to East Ham with his mum after his grandmother became terminally ill in April last year.

The following month, on May 16, he attacked 75-year-old Patricia Beckford in Grangewood Street, leaving her with severe facial bruising.

Five days later he attacked Ann Pooley, 37, in Balaam Street and on June 20 he attacked 71-year-old William Boatwright, also in Grangewood Street.

During the trial, jurors heard how the blood of Mr Boatwright and Mrs Pooley, was found on the trainers Joseph was wearing on when arrested in June last year.

In his defence, unemployed Joseph said he had “picked up the trainers from a charity shop” a few days before being arrested.

“I did not pay for them,” he told the court.

“The trainers were outside the shop in a box. I just picked them up.”

He claimed he did not tell officers where he got his trainers from during an interview shortly after his arrest because he “didn’t want to say they were from a charity shop”.

Joseph admitted to the court that the suspect shown in CCTV footage attacking Mr Boatwright “looked kind of similar” to him and was dressed identically to him on the day of his arrest.

Jurors did not reach a verdict on two counts of inflicting grievous bodily harm and one count of unlawful wounding.

Joseph will be sentenced on July 9 at Snaresbrook Crown Court.