A father was stabbed to death with a sword in front of his two children in Mitcham, South London, after asking a neighbour to return his ten-year-old son’s football, police said.

A row erupted after the ball ended up in the neighbour’s garden and was confiscated. The victim, named locally as David Martin, 40, a window cleaner, was beaten with cricket bats, golf clubs, metal poles and a sword and is thought to have died at the scene from a wound from the sword.

It is believed that there was an ongoing dispute between the two families. Residents said that Mr Martin had seen his own father die in similar circumstances 23 years ago, when his father intervened to try to protect his son from a gang of boys.

A neighbour said: “David saw his dad die in front of him and now his son has seen David die in front of him. It’s a bizarre twist of fate. I can’t believe this tragedy has happened twice to the same family.”

Police said that a man in his late thirties voluntarily went to a South London police station and was arrested in connection with the death.

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