Balham: Man arrested over Uber driver stabbing in south London

A man has been arrested on suspicion of committing grievous bodily harm after an Uber driver was stabbed in south London.

The Met Police said the driver was stabbed twice in the chest on Nightingale Lane in Clapham in the early hours of Thursday.

This follows incidents of women being followed in Clapham Junction, Balham and Clapham Common.

Police said a 22-year-old man was arrested in Brixton on Friday.

He was also arrested on suspicion of committing grievous bodily harm, possession of an offensive weapon and public order offences.

Det Sup Dan O’Sullivan, from the South West Command Unit, said: “Firstly, I would like to thank the public for their assistance that led to this arrest. I know that many people will have been incredibly concerned about the details of these linked investigations. I want to reassure local residents that we are continuing to carry out extra reassurance patrols.

“I also want to be clear that our enquiries and our vigilance doesn’t end with this arrest. A team of dedicated detectives are continuing to carry out a thorough investigation. This man is currently in police custody and will be questioned by detectives.

“Help from the public is clearly vital to our investigations and I would again ask anyone who has any information about this investigation to get in touch immediately.”

Timeline of events

On Friday November 17, a woman was walking on Sisters Avenue, Clapham Junction at around 4am when she noticed a man following her. As he got close, she began to shout and he ran away. He was in possession of a knife.

The second incident took place on Sumburgh Road, Balham at around 1.40am on Sunday November 19. The man approached a woman and grabbed her, but she managed to escape.

On Thursday November 23, at around 0.20am, an Uber driver was stabbed in the chest twice on Nightingale Lane in Balham. His condition is not life threatening or life changing and he has been released from hospital.

From the description, officers have linked this suspect to the other offences.

At around 2:50 am on Thursday November 23, officers saw the suspect at Clapham Common near the Holy Trinity Church, approaching women. Officers chased him, but he ran off in the direction of Clapham Common West Side.

At 4:45am, the same officers recognised the man, on this occasion using a red bicycle. He was again chased and lost on St John’s Road at the junction with Aliwal Road.