A mourner at the funeral of Hither Green burglar Henry Vincent has been arrested following tense scenes at the 37-year-old’s tightly policed memorial.
Scotland Yard confirmed that a man who had attended the service at St Mary’s Church in Orpington had been arrested on suspicion of assault at around 1.15pm following an incident on the town’s High Street.
The man, believed to be in his teens, was later released under investigation.
The arrest comes after press were forced to leave the scene of the funeral over police fears they could become targets for violence.
The warning came after an egg was thrown at the press by one mourner, with others shouting abuse at reporters. A rock was also thrown at a broadcast van near the church, though it was not clear if the man was attending the funeral.
Mourners in the funeral cortege were also photographed making rude gestures from inside cars in the procession to church.
Vincent died on April 4 after entering the home of 78-year-old Richard Osborn-Brooks.
The OAP, who was at home with his wife at the time of the burglary, was threatened with a screwdriver and a struggle ensued between him and one of the intruders.
Vincent, from Kent, was found collapsed on Further Green Road, suffering a stab wound to the upper body. He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead at about 3.30am.
Following the initial arrest of Osborn-Brooks, police decided to take no further action against the pensioner.