Gemma Chan Stared into Eyes of a Killer on Putney Bridge

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Jack Whitehall’s girlfriend a witness to the murder of a homeless man

Gemma Chan, the actress who has appeared in a number of hit TV series, has been in the witness stand in the case of the murder of Colin Hammond. The 65 year old homeless man was stabbed to death outside Putney Bridge station in Fulham last October.

Ms Chan, the girlfriend of Jack Whitehall was outside the station when she saw that a fight had started between two men on the other side of the road. Whilst on the stand at the Old Bailey, she described seeing a young man with a goatee beards in a struggle with an older man and then realising the younger man had a knife. The younger man was kneeling on top of his victim, Colin Hammond, gripping him by the neck and telling him he didn’t have any money. She noticed that he had his right hand pressed to the neck of Mr. Hammond. When he pulled his hand away Ms. Chan saw he was holding a knife.

After the attacker moved away Ms Chan crossed the road to see if she could help the victim. She heard him groaning and holding the left side of his neck and asked him if he was okay. At this point the attacker reappeared and looked directly at Ms Chan.

She told the court, 'We stared at each other for about three seconds and then the road started to fill with people as a train had arrived at the tube station.'

She had the presence of mind to shout for someone to call an ambulance and try and take a picture of the other man. She stayed with Mr. Hammond after a doctor arrived on the scene and CPR was administered but he later died.

The man accused of the killing is 28 year old Frederic Russell. Mr. Russell has been deemed unfit to plead having been repeatedly committed to mental asylums in his home town in France. He had also stabbed his father, who he claimed had sexually abused him. His father had died earlier in the month of Colin Hammond's death and Mr. Russell had tried to prise open his coffin at the funeral. Despite his family’s attempts to detain him he ran away to England.

After the attack on Mr. Hammond he used the knife that killed him to slash his neck and his chest before being disarmed by the police. His mobile phone was also found by Mr. Hammond’s body.

The trial continues.

September 18, 2013