'Broken' family of man fatally shot in Balham appeal for justice on second anniversary of his murder

The family of a man fatally shot as he left his home in Lambeth have made an emotional appeal for justice ahead of the second anniversary of his murder as a £20,000 reward from the independent charity Crimestoppers is announced.

Matthias Poleon was just 27 when he was attacked without warning by two suspects wearing facemasks on the front drive of his Balham home in June 2021. They then fled in a car in the direction of Balham town centre.

Today Crimestoppers is offering up to £20,000 for information the charity exclusively receives - either online or by calling freephone 0800 555 111 - that leads to the arrest & conviction of anyone linked to Matthias's murder.

In tribute to her son, Matthias's mother, Vina Poleon, said: "I need justice for my boy. The killers need to be brought to justice, they need to understand that their decision to kill my boy has left me with the biggest hole in my heart. I can't close my eyes without seeing my boy laying lifeless. I'm broken over this, devastated beyond words.

"If you have any information please get in touch with the police or Crimestoppers and bring the killer/killers of my beautiful son to justice. I miss my son every day."

Police were called at approximately 22:50hrs on Thursday, 17 June 2021 to reports of a man suffering gunshot injuries in Bedford Hill, SW12.

Officers and London Ambulance Service attended and Matthias was taken to hospital for treatment; despite the best efforts of the emergency services he was pronounced dead at 23:36hrs.

A post-mortem examination carried out on Saturday, 19 June gave a cause of Matthias' death as a gunshot-wound to the chest.

Enquiries into the circumstances surrounding Matthias's murder continue. A grey coloured Volkswagen Golf seen in and around the area at the time was later traced.

Despite an extensive investigation, no one has been charged yet in connection with Matthias's murder.

Two men arrested in January and March 2022 on suspicion of conspiracy to murder remain released under investigation.

Anthony, Matthias' brother, said: "At 22:27hrs on 17 June 2021 my life changed forever. When I got the phone call that my brother had been shot, everything stood still.

"Being the eldest of five, I've always played the role of protector for my siblings, however in that moment I felt helpless. When the doctor told us he had gone, I remember feeling sadness, rage, and disbelief. I didn't want to believe it. I didn't want to believe that he had been taken from us by cowards.

"I just want justice for my brother. This devastation has broken my family, and I just want those responsible brought to justice so my family can have some peace. Especially my mother who has shown her strength in this time of turmoil because no mother deserves to bury her youngest child."

Detective Inspector Ollie Stride, investigating, said: "The anniversary of Matthias's death brings his family - especially his mother - fresh grief on what has already been a terrible ordeal for them.

"They cannot begin to grieve until justice has been served. We have spoken to a number of people, but we know the area would have been busy with people at the time, and we think there are people who could have crucial information who are yet to come forward.

"Today the independent charity Crimestoppers has announced a £20,000 reward for information they receive anonymously leading to the conviction of Matthias Poleon's killers.

"That's a lot of money to any person, but all Matthia's family want is justice. If you can help us, I urge you to make contact with us, or Crimestoppers, immediately."

Alexa Loukas, London Regional Manager at the charity Crimestoppers, said: "It's believed there were a number of people around at the time of Matthias' killing as Bedford Hill in Balham is a busy area.

"Our charity knows, only too well, that fear can be a massive barrier to people coming forward. However, with Crimestoppers, we're not the police, we're independent and we guarantee you'll stay completely anonymous. That means we never ask for your personal details - just tell us what you know.

"Please contact us online by completing a simple a secure anonymous online form at Crimestoppers-uk.org or call our UK Contact Centre on 0800 555 111. Crimestoppers is here for you when you have crime information but need the guarantee of no comeback. You could be helping to secure justice for Matthias, and all those who loved him. Your information could make a difference."

Information passed directly to police will not qualify for a reward. Only information passed to Crimestoppers using our untraceable anonymous online form or via our 0800 555 111 freephone number will qualify.

- Call the incident room on 0208 785 8244 or call 101/ tweet @MetCC quoting 8915/17June.

- If you prefer not to talk to the police, you can stay completely anonymous by contacting independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit crimestoppers-uk.org.

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Vina's tribute in full: "I am unable to close my eyes without constantly replaying the day of Matthias' death. I hardly go anywhere. I no longer have a social life and will avoid social interaction with strangers at all costs. I'm unable to work. I feel fearful all the time with a sense of real dread of something happening to me. Matthias' death has left me wishing for death most days. I miss my beautiful son daily. I miss his quirky sense of humour, his phone calls, his I love you mum. All I've got is his videos and his voice notes and there's some days when I can't bear to even watch that. I'm devastated beyond words. The impact of the murder of my son Matthias has left me with mental health issues, PTSD, anxiety, restlessness and diabetes.

"Losing Matthias has been the worst thing that has happened to me. I've watched his friends and his siblings broken into pieces. I know I'll never get over the loss of my baby boy. Matthias was my joker and he was stolen from me and with his loss went my smile from my heart. I miss my boy so much I can't even breathe. Matthias' death has impacted everything I do. I have no mum or dad to console me, there's no one big enough to help me carry the burden of Matthias's loss. People try to comfort me but my mind is broken my heart has a hole that was left watching my son die and not being able to hold him. Why did you have to kill my boy? You could have just hurt him, you didn't have to kill him. Do you realise you killed me? My son is gone, my boy my Matthias is gone.

"I need justice for my boy. The killers need to be brought to justice, they need to understand that their decision to kill my boy has left me with the biggest hole in my heart. I can't close my eyes without seeing my boy laying lifeless. I'm broken over this, devastated beyond words. If you have any information please get in touch with the police and bring the killer/killers of my beautiful son to justice. I miss my son every day."

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