Parents have been urged by the police to come forward after a father was stabbed to death whilst trying to protect his daughter from a gang of young boys.

       James Markham, 45, has been described as a “man with a good heart and a good soul” after he was killed near his family home in Chingford, east London, on Monday evening.

       Witnesses have said that Mr Markham, who became the 49th person to be stabbed to death in London this year, stepped in to help his 14-year-old daughter who was being harassed by a group of “hooligans”.

       The Metropolitan Police is now urging parents whose children may have been involved or witnessed the attack to come forward.

       On Wednesday, two 14-year-old boys were arrested on suspicion of murder and conspiracy to murder and are being held in custody.

       On Monday evening, locals saw the young girl with a “herd” of boys before she appeared to “pull a face” and went to get her father who had just finished walking the family’s dog.

       Minutes later, a man who was sitting in his car saw a group of eight or nine teenage boys “run up and down” the street before neighbours heard the screams of Mr Markham’s partner.

       Police and paramedics, including the air ambulance, arrived at the scene at 6.20pm to find the caring “family man” suffering from multiple stab wounds.

       Witnesses told how paramedics battled to save Mr Markham, who is believed to be a father of three, amid heavy rain, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

       A family friend, who was tearful at the scene of the stabbing and did not want to be named, said: “He was my friend, my neighbour. He was kind, a lovely man, a worker.

       “He would wake up at 5am, come back at 6pm, doing the daily routine with the kids, always with the kids.

       “We are devastated for Jamie. He was kind, a good person, someone who will always be there for you.

       “Anything that you need, he’ll always be there, fixing anything that you need from the house. He was always working.

       “He was a very good person, a man with a good heart, a good soul, he didn’t deserve that.”

       Alice McGill, 78, recalled how the young girl was seen with the boys. “She then went to go and get her father and her father came out and he died,” she said. “It’s a tragedy because this young girl is going to have to live with that for the rest of her life. It’s not her fault. This girl was a proper daddy’s girl – the poor, poor girl.”

       John Marriott, Detective Inspector of the Met’s specialist crime command, said: “We believe that James confronted a group of youths causing a disturbance and was stabbed as a result.

       “The brutality of this response is beyond shocking and our thoughts are with James’s family, who have been left devastated by their loss.

       “The arrests of these two individuals is a significant development but we still need the public’s help to build a full picture of exactly what happened on Monday evening.

       “I know that there were a number of people present at the time of the murder. I want them to come forward.

       “I also believe there will be parents who know that their child was there, or was involved. I am appealing for them to do the sensible thing and get in touch with us.

       “A dedicated team of officers is working to piece together the tragic circumstances that led to this murder and to bring those responsible to justice.”