A “much-loved” grandfather was brutally beaten to death with a plank of wood after giving chase to thieves suspected of taking his car keys, it emerged yesterday.
Clemuth Roberts, 58, a father-of-six, was battered to the ground and left in the street just 50 yards from his home.
Police and paramedics called to the incident in Dagenham at 1pm on Monday were unable to revive him and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
It is understood that Roberts, a music and cricket enthusiast, ran after a group of youngsters to retrieve a bunch of keys which had gone missing from his home.
A source said: “He came out and ran down the road after them. That’s when one of them beat him to death. They brutally beat him on the head with a plank of wood.”
Roberts’s relatives yesterday paid tribute to the “loving” family man who was devoted to his 14 grandchildren.
He moved to the UK from the West Indies with his parents as a teenager and had worked for many years as a mechanic, before getting a job as a van courier.
His eldest daughter Simone, 37, told the Standard: “He was well known and much loved. He always had a big smile on his face, just a fun person who’d help anyone.
“He was a lovely man who didn’t deserve to die. Everybody feels the same — angry, upset — and we can’t believe this happened to him.
“We’re not having a Christmas this year, I’ve had to explain to my children that everything is cancelled. Thursday is my birthday and I have been asked to identify my dad’s body.”
Detectives from the Met’s Homicide and Major Crime Command have launched a murder investigation, with officers carrying out forensic tests and house-to-house enquiries.
A neighbour said: “It’s evil and cruel at any time, but a week before Christmas it’s just heartbreaking.
“Police said it was all over stolen car keys and the boys literally beat the poor man to death.”
In a statement Barking Cricket Club, where Roberts was a loyal member, said: “We’re in shock at this terrible news and would like to extend our sincere condolences to the Roberts family. We have lost one of our own. RIP Clem.”
A 17-year-old boy, a 20-year-old man and a girl aged 14 were arrested on suspicion of murder after the incident, and have all been released on bail until February.
award
