Mistaken ‘queue-jumper’ dies after supermarket attack

A FATHER-of-one who was attacked and fatally injured at a supermarket in a row over queue-jumping was an innocent bystander, it has been revealed.

Kevin Tripp, 57, was shopping in Sainsbury’s in Merton, south London, when a row broke out.

Witnesses said a woman customer accused another shopper of pushing in ahead of her. She then allegedly called her boyfriend on her mobile who attacked “the first person he saw”, witnesses said.

Mr Tripp, who lived with his partner Josephine, and his five-year-old daughter in Boundary Road, Merton, was punched and fell heavily on Tuesday evening.

Shoppers and store staff saw the engineer hit his head and begin bleeding.

He was taken to St George’s Hospital in Tooting but died late on Wednesday night.

A couple who shop regularly at the store said staff told them the man picked Mr Tripp apparently at random.

The woman said: “A woman phoned her boyfriend. He didn’t bother to find out who had been causing trouble, he just hit the first person he saw.”

Another shopper said: “It’s like road rage, isn’t it, but in a supermarket? Someone with a short temper, and that’s how it gets them.”

Mr Tripp’s partner and daughter were yesterday collected from their terraced home by relatives. They were too upset to talk but neighbours paid tribute to the dead man.

Neighbour Breda McDonagh, 70, a retired nurse, said: “He was a very nice chap, a sociable man, co-operative, who would do anything he could for you.

“I was told a scuffle had broken out. Kevin had got hit in the queue and he’d been admitted to St George’s. I thought he’d be all right. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Another of Mr Tripp’s neighbours said: “I’m devastated. When I heard it on the news this morning I thought ‘Nobody’s supposed to lose their life over queue-jumping’, but I’ve since heard it was a case of mistaken identity. We’re just so shocked and upset by the news. They were a quiet couple and the little girl always used to wave when she saw me.”

A man appeared in court yesterday charged with Mr Tripp’s murder.

Tony Virasami, 37, from Catford, south east London, was remanded into custody at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court.

Wearing a white T-shirt and tracksuit bottoms, he spoke only to confirm his name and address. He will appear at the Old Bailey on September 18.

A spokeswoman for Sainsbury’s said: “We are helping the police with their inquiries following an incident which took place at our store in Merton on Tuesday evening.”