Tony Eastlake

THE ‘flowerman of Islington’ was knifed in the back by his partner’s son over a “family feud,” a court heard this week.

Tony Eastlake – who had a flower stand close to Essex Road station – died in May 2021.

On Monday, his partner’s son, James Peppiatt, stood in the dock accused of killing him as a murder trial began.

In opening statements, prosecution lawyer Julian Evans KC described how a “rift” had emerged between Mr Eastlake and Mr Peppiatt after Alisha Callaghan took her life the previous month.

Ms Callaghan was Mr Eastlake’s partner and Mr Peppiatt’s mother.

According to Mr Eastlake’s friends, while he was “heartbroken” about her death he believed Mr Peppiatt blamed him for her death.

The Old Bailey heard, around two months after his mother’s death, Mr Peppiatt met with Mr Eastlake after he finished work on his stall.

While Mr Eastlake was unarmed, the prosecution allege, Mr Peppiatt brought a weapon to the meeting in nearby Elmore Street, and as they walked together, angry words were exchanged.

A fight between them broke out in Ecclesborne Road, which the prosecution claim was started by Mr Peppiatt.

Dean George KC, representing Mr Peppiatt, made a brief opening statement to the jury on Tuesday, calling on them to “keep your minds open”, and alleged it was in fact Mr Eastlake who brought the knife to the meeting.

He said: “[Mr Eastlake] intended on starting the fight. Mr Peppiatt acted in self-defence.”

Mr Evans KC said CCTV footage shows Mr Peppiatt charging towards Mr Eastlake before both men fell to the floor.

While they were left bloodied by the exchange, they were relatively unharmed.

Mr Eastlake had worked on the stall next to Essex Road station since he was a teenager

Mr Eastlake then turned into Halliford Street and walked in the direction of Essex Road, with Mr Peppiatt following him at a distance.

“Tony Eastlake was walking away from further trouble,” said Mr Evans KC. “By contrast, James Peppiatt was not prepared to let matters end there… He was not prepared to let Tony Eastlake just walk away. He was still upset. He wanted to carry on, and he followed Tony Eastlake as he walked away.”

As he set out his case on Monday, he told the jury a witness, who was leaving his home in Halliford Street as the two men walked past him, initially thought that they were “messing around with one another”. But he was wrong, said Mr Evans KC, adding: “[The witness] then saw James Peppiatt approach Tony Eastlake from behind and ‘punch’ him once in his back on the left side. From his vantage point, [the witness] did not see if James Peppiatt had anything in his hand.”

Mr Evans KC told the court: “It is the prosecution case that when he approached Tony Eastlake from behind, James Peppiatt was holding a knife. Rather than punching him, James Peppiatt stabbed Tony Eastlake once in the back, from behind, with a knife. The stab wound proved fatal.”

Mr Eastlake grimaced before walking to a nearby car park, where he collapsed, the court was told.

He was helped by members of the public, some of whom he knew, before dying just before 6pm.

“In Halliford Street, knife in hand, he stabbed an unarmed man from behind,” Mr Evans KC said about the defendant.

Mr Eastlake, a well-known and popular community figure, had lived in Islington all his life and had worked on the flower stall since he was 14.

He began a relationship with Ms Callaghan in 2019, a year after separating from his previous partner, Lisa Maggs, who he had lived with since he was 21, and with whom he shared a daughter, Paige Eastlake.

Mr Evans KC told the jury: “[Ms Callaghan’s] suicide clearly had a great impact upon James Peppiatt and Tony Eastlake, both of whom were greatly upset and affected by her death.

“According to a friend of Tony Eastlake, Alisha’s death caused something of a rift in the relationship between Tony Eastlake and James Peppiatt. Tony Eastlake told his friend that James Peppiatt blamed him for his mother’s death.”

Mr Eastlake’s daughter held hands with her mother and other family members as the case against Mr Peppiatt was laid out to the jury on Monday.

Mr Peppiatt denies a charge of murder.

The trial continues and is expected to last more than two weeks.