A Carshalton fight arrest has been made after a man was found with head injuries following an alleged altercation on a quiet residential street in the south London suburb, in an incident that saw emergency services called to the scene on Friday morning.
A 51-year-old woman is in police custody on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent. She was taken to a police station, where she remains while enquiries continue.
The Metropolitan Police were called at about 8.30am on Friday, October 9, to reports of a fight on Lovett Drive, a quiet residential road in Carshalton. Officers attended alongside the London Ambulance Service and found a man, aged in his 50s, suffering from a head injury.
The man was taken to hospital, where his injuries were deemed not to be life-threatening or life-changing, police said.
The arrest came as detectives continued their enquiries into the alleged incident. Causing grievous bodily harm with intent is among the most serious violent offences in English law and carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
In a statement, a Met Police spokesperson said: “Police were called at about 8.30am on Friday, October 9, to reports of an altercation in Lovett Drive, Carshalton. Officers and the London Ambulance Service attended and found a man, aged in his 50s, suffering from a head injury. He was taken to hospital where his injuries were deemed not to be life-threatening or life-changing. A 51-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm with intent. She was taken to a police station where she remains in custody. Enquiries continue.”
This latest update follows our original report on Friday that a man had been found with head injuries on Lovett Drive.
Lovett Drive sits in Carshalton, a suburban town in the London Borough of Sutton in south London, roughly ten miles south-west of central London.
The offence of causing grievous bodily harm with intent is charged under section 18 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861. The “with intent” element is what distinguishes it from the less serious offence of inflicting grievous bodily harm, and it requires prosecutors to show that the suspect intended to cause really serious injury.
It is important to be clear that an arrest on suspicion is not a charge. The woman has not been charged with any offence, and an arrest simply means officers have grounds to suspect involvement and wish to question the person as part of an ongoing investigation.
Under police custody procedures, a suspect can be held while enquiries are carried out, after which a decision is made on whether to release them, release them under investigation, or pass a file to prosecutors for a charging decision.
The Met’s statement is the only official account of the incident released so far. Police have not said how long the woman is expected to remain in custody, and no further details about the injured man have been published.
Further details about what led to the alleged altercation have not been released. Beyond the statement issued on Sunday, police have not described the circumstances of the incident. No charges have been announced at this stage.
Carshalton is known for its historic high street, ponds and village character.
This is a developing story. The arrest is the first in connection with Friday’s incident, and detectives are continuing to piece together the sequence of events that led to the man’s injuries. As enquiries continue, officers will be working to establish the full circumstances of the alleged altercation.
The woman remains in custody and the Metropolitan Police said enquiries continue. London Streets will update this story as more information becomes available.
