Murder Victim Nathaniel's Cousin Speaks Out About His Death
ITV weatherman Alex Beresford said: 'We need to fix this problem from both sides'
Nathaniel Armstrong. Picture: Facebook
Alex Beresford, the cousin of Nathaniel Armstrong, 29, who was stabbed to death in Fulham's Gowan Avenue last Saturday morning, has spoken out about his murder.
Days before Nathaniel was killed, Alex, who is well known to ITV viewers as Good Morning Britain's weatherman, made a passionate intervention into a debate about knife crime on the show.
On Wednesday he returned to the show, saying he had been on 'an emotional rollercoaster' since his cousin's death.
He said: "We also buried our uncle yesterday so it’s been a lot of ups and downs. No one would have expected it, especially after I spoke out. You couldn’t make it up. It’s come as a big surprise that it’s happened to Nathaniel. He is 29, not in a gang, he went to a good school, university.
"He was a big guy. He was like 6’6”, 6’7”, when you spoke to him you were literally looking up.
"I guess on the outside some people could have been intimidated by him but he wasn’t that person – everyone said he was a big friendly giant. For this to happen to him, everyone was quite shocked. He wasn’t really a fighter, he was someone who would talk his way out of something."
He added that knife crime wasn’t just a 'black on black problem' in London. Instead he said it was 'a problem up and down the UK in lots of different communities'.
"We need to think about the other side of this," he said. "This person who has done this to my cousin, he has also ruined his life, the ripple effect goes wider, it affects his family as well and that’d why we need to fix this problem from both sides.
"That’s why I have said before: 'Nobody wins, everybody loses in these situations'."
You can see the full interview on Good Morning Britain's YouTube.
Nathaniel died from stab wounds in Fulham in the early hours of 16 March, about 100 metres from home.
Friends from the area described him as an exceptionally friendly person who was very popular in the area being known around youth centres where he played basketball. He was six foot seven and was dubbed BFG (Big Friendly Giant).
Police were called to Gowan Avenue at the junction with Munster Road, following reports of a fight in progress at 12.27am.
Nathaniel was found at the scene with serious knife injuries. Before emergency services arrived he had been tended to by members of the public and then received further treatment from medical professionals but despite their efforts, he was sadly pronounced dead at the scene at 12.56am.
The scene at Gowan Avenue
Gowan Avenue is the street in which TV presenter Jill Dando was shot on the doorstep of her home on 26 April 1999.
Police have released details of a man sought in connection with the murder. DCI Glen Lloyd, who is leading the investigation for the Homicide and Major Crime Command unit, said: "We are appealing for information from those who were out and about in the area at the time of the attack and saw anything of note.
"My team is particularly keen to trace a light skinned black male, approximately 6ft tall who was seen near the scene at the time of the incident. Did you see him? Do you know who he is? Anyone with information on his identity or whereabouts is urged to contact police."
Any witnesses, or anyone with information, is asked to call the police incident room on 0208 358 0100 quoting ref 179/16 March. To remain anonymous, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. You can also tweet police via @MetCC.
March 22, 2019