A man has been charged with murder after a 53-year-old man died in hospital almost four weeks after he was stabbed at an address in Bermondsey.
Sean Riordan, 60, of Lucey Way, was arrested at the scene in the early hours of 2 August and was initially charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent. He has now been charged with murder following the death of Raymond Hardinges, 53, and is due to appear at Croydon Magistrates’ Court on 9 October.
The murder charge is an allegation that has yet to be tested at trial. Riordan has been charged, not convicted, and the case remains before the courts. London Streets is reporting the charge and the court dates that have been set, without drawing conclusions about guilt.
Key facts
- Victim: Raymond Hardinges, aged 53
- Incident: Police called at about 12.45am on 2 August to an address in Lucey Way, Bermondsey, after reports of a fight
- Suspect: Sean Riordan, aged 60, of Lucey Way
- Initial charge: Causing grievous bodily harm with intent
- Current charge: Murder
- Next hearing: Croydon Magistrates’ Court on 9 October
What happened in Lucey Way
Officers were called to Lucey Way shortly before 1am on 2 August following reports of a fight at an address there. When they arrived, they found Mr Hardinges seriously injured. He was treated at the scene and then taken to hospital, where he remained for several weeks before he died on 29 August.
Riordan was arrested at the scene. The Metropolitan Police investigation has continued while Mr Hardinges was in hospital and after his death, leading to the decision to bring a murder charge. No further detail about the circumstances inside the address has been released at this stage, and it would be wrong to speculate while criminal proceedings are active.
For residents, Lucey Way is a residential street in Bermondsey, in the London Borough of Southwark, an area London Streets covers regularly for both crime and community news. In a separate recent incident nearby, a railway arch in Silwood Street, Bermondsey was damaged after a major blaze, underlining how closely local incidents are followed in this part of south-east London.
Timeline
- 2 August, about 12.45am – Police are called to an address in Lucey Way, Bermondsey. Mr Hardinges is found seriously injured and taken to hospital. Riordan is arrested at the scene.
- 3 August – Riordan appears at Croydon Magistrates’ Court charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
- 1 September – Date initially set for a further appearance at Inner London Crown Court after Riordan is bailed.
- 29 August – Mr Hardinges dies in hospital. Riordan is arrested again for an alleged breach of court bail and is remanded in custody.
- 9 October – Riordan is due to appear at Croydon Magistrates’ Court charged with murder.
Court process so far
After his first arrest, Riordan was charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent, a serious assault offence that reflects the fact that Mr Hardinges was still alive at that point. He appeared at Croydon Magistrates’ Court on 3 August and was later bailed to appear at Inner London Crown Court on 1 September.
That position changed at the end of August. On the day Mr Hardinges died, 29 August, Riordan was arrested again for an alleged breach of his court bail conditions and was remanded in custody, meaning he remained in custody rather than on bail. Following Mr Hardinges’s death, prosecutors have now charged him with murder, which supersedes the earlier assault charge in seriousness and will be dealt with through the Crown Court process once the initial magistrates’ hearing has taken place.
London Streets reports other charging decisions across the capital in the same factual way. For example, a man was charged over a stabbing in Herbert Road, Woolwich, and in a separate case officers responded to a stabbing in Vauxhall Bridge Road, near Victoria, where a woman was arrested. Each case is distinct, and a charge in one case says nothing about any other.
What happens next
Riordan is due before Croydon Magistrates’ Court on 9 October on the murder charge. Magistrates do not try murder cases to a conclusion. Their role at this stage is to deal with the first appearance, confirm the defendant’s identity and address, consider bail or custody, and send the case to the Crown Court, where a judge will manage the next steps, including plea hearings and, if a not guilty plea is entered, trial preparation.
It is important to be clear about what a charge means. A charge means prosecutors believe there is sufficient evidence to put the allegation before a court and that it is in the public interest to do so. It does not mean the allegation has been proved, and Riordan is entitled to a fair trial. Contempt of court rules also limit what can be published once proceedings are active, which is why reporting focuses on the facts confirmed in court and by police, rather than speculation about what happened inside the address.
Mr Hardinges’s death, almost four weeks after he was admitted to hospital, is the reason the case has moved from an assault investigation to a murder case. Further hearings will be a matter for the courts to list, and London Streets will update this story with the outcome of the 9 October appearance and any subsequent Crown Court dates as they are confirmed. Anyone with information about the incident in Lucey Way should contact the Metropolitan Police.
