Man charged with violent Enfield burglary of 98-year old WWII hero

A 31-year-old man has been charged with a violent burglary that left a 98-year-old World War Two veteran fatally injured four years ago.

Retired telephone engineer Peter Gouldstone was brutally attacked in his home in Evesham Road, Enfield, north London.

Gouldstone was found dying at 10am on 6 November 2018 with two bleeds on the brain and extensive bruising on his body.

He died of his injuries three weeks later with a post-mortem giving his cause of death as complication of a traumatic head injury.

His home was ransacked during the burglary with a number of goods stolen including a 26-inch Panasonic television.

Nicolae Ion, of no fixed address, is accused of breaking into Gouldstone’s home and will appear at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Wednesday November 2.

At the time police released CCTV of a burglary which showed three men attempting to break into a nearby house on the evening before Gouldstone was found with injuries.

A £10,000 reward was offered for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the men, but no charges have been brought until now.

Gouldstone, served in Italy during the Second World War before working for the Post Office as a telephone engineer.

He retired in 1980 and lived in the house where he was burgled for 60 years before his death.

Following the attack Gouldstone’s son, Simon, told reporters: “The house was very cold, he was in amongst quite a lot of turmoil. He couldn’t communicate, he had bruising on his arms and face.

“I don’t know how they can live with themselves”, reported the Daily Mail. “The sooner they’re locked up the better.”

In 2021 the case appeared on BBC Crimewatch with Detective Inspector John Marriott saying: “Despite the passage of time, their hurt has not lessened; and neither has our determination to find those responsible for his death.”

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police (Met) said: “The charge relates to a burglary at the home of 98-year-old Peter Gouldstone on Evesham Road, Enfield between Monday, November 5 and Tuesday, November 6, 2018. Mr Gouldstone died later the same month.”