Richard Payne, 67, died five days after a fight on Priory Road, Hornsey. One man is charged with murder and one with manslaughter; police want witnesses.

A 67-year-old man has died after a fight on Priory Road in Hornsey, and two men have been charged. The Metropolitan Police named him on Monday as Richard Payne.

Everything in this report comes from the Met’s statement of 12 October. The force’s web address for it says Hackney, but the statement itself places the incident on Priory Road, N8.

What the police have said

Police were called at 8pm on Monday 5 October to reports of a fight on Priory Road.

  • Officers went with the London Ambulance Service, which treated a 67-year-old man for a head injury.
  • He was taken to hospital and died on Saturday 10 October.
  • A 60-year-old man was also taken to hospital. The Met says his condition was not life-threatening or life-changing.
  • On Tuesday 6 October three men were arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm. Two of them were charged with that offence.
  • After Mr Payne’s death, those two men were rearrested on Sunday 11 October on suspicion of murder.

On Monday 12 October the Met charged:

  • Crisbond Gasper, 22, of Campsbourne Road, with murder
  • Jesse Friedlander, 22, of Fern Street, with manslaughter

Both were remanded to appear at Bromley Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 13 October. The third man arrested, who is 18, has been released on bail pending further enquiries.

Mr Payne’s family are being supported by specialist officers.

What the police are asking for

Detective Chief Inspector Phil Clarke called it “a deeply tragic incident”. He said: “I encourage anyone with information in relation to Richard’s death to contact us. Any information you have could be vital in our investigation.”

Chief Superintendent Anna Mccartney leads policing in the area. She said the force recognised that the death “will be deeply concerning for local residents”. She said officers had increased patrols in the area over the past week and would keep working “with partners to tackle serious violence”.

What it means for you

  • If you saw anything on Priory Road on the evening of Monday 5 October, call the Met on 101 and quote CAD 6762/05OCT.
  • To stay anonymous, call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
  • Expect more officers in the area. The Met says the extra patrols are there to reassure residents and deal with community concerns.
  • Criminal proceedings are now active. Two men have been charged and are entitled to a fair trial. Please do not speculate about the case online, including in comments on local social media groups, because that can prejudice a trial.

We will not report the court case. We will report any further statement the Met issues about the investigation or its appeal.

The local picture

Police.uk publishes recorded crime by month, at the nearest street rather than the exact address. The latest month available is August 2026.

In police.uk’s street-level data, 176 violence and sexual offences were recorded within a mile of Priory Road in August 2026. In August 2025 the figure was 166. That category covers everything from common assault and harassment to the most serious violence, so it says little about any single case.

Across all crime types, the same area recorded 750 crimes in August 2026, against 875 a year earlier.

Sources

  • Charges following death of man in Hornsey, Metropolitan Police, 12 October 2026, for every detail of the incident, the arrests, the charges, the court date, the quotes and the appeal reference.
  • Police.uk street-level crime API, Home Office open data under the Open Government Licence, queried on 13 October 2026 for August 2026 and August 2025, one-mile radius around Priory Road, N8.