A MURDER investigation has been launched after a disabled man had his throat slit in a ‘brutal attack’ in his Thamesmead home.

The victim, who has been named as 56-year-old Colin Greenway, was pronounced dead in his ground floor flat in Abbotts Close at around 2pm yesterday (June 15).

Some neighbours reportedly saw two men going over the gate at the side of his property into the back garden about an hour before Mr Greenway's body was discovered by the emergency services.

Forensics officers are at the scene of the murder this afternoon and have removed one of the doors which leads into the back garden of the flats.

Troy Bedden, who lives nearby, says last night at a social gathering he spoke to one of the ambulance workers who attended the scene.

Mr Bedden said: “He said to me it was a brutal attack what happened to the guy.

“He told me it was one of the worst he’s ever seen.

“From what I can gather the guy had his throat slit.

“Nobody deserves that, it’s disgusting.”

The 43-year-old added: “For something like that to happen, what’s the world coming to?

“I just think ‘God, what’s next?’”

And Maria King is equally shocked about what has happened in her street.

She says Mr Greenway was in a wheelchair because the toes on one of his feet had been amputated due to gangrene and said he would never hurt anyone.

The 51-year-old said: “I have known him for seven years and I used to see him go up and down in his wheelchair.

“He would knock on my door and ask for a teabag and a bit of sugar now and again.

“He was always fairly happy.”

“Yesterday when I came home the road was cordoned off and the neighbours told me what had happened. It came as a shock.”

And Mr Bedden added: “Colin was quite a polite kind of fellow.

“He was just trying to muster through life as best as he could.

“He would go past everyday and if I was outside cleaning my car he would say ‘hello’.

“I don’t think anyone here has any enemies; we help each other out, that’s just the way we are.”

The murder victim has been formally identified but he has not been officially named by police as next of kin have not been informed of his death.

A post-mortem examination held today at Greenwich mortuary gave the cause of death as incised wounds to the throat.

A man aged in his 50s was arrested nearby and is in custody at a south London police station.

Detectives from the Homicide & Serious Crime Command are investigating. An incident room has opened at Sutton under Detective Chief Inspector John McFarlane.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the police on 020 8721 4205 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.