A dad was stabbed through the skull and his son repeatedly knifed in the back while confronting a teenager on a Mitcham estate.

Craig Joseph-Webber, 46, was left in a coma and is feared to have “life changing” injuries after the blade penetrated his brain during the attack on Tuesday, June 15.

His son, a former trainee-Royal Marine, Matthew Stevenson-Webber, 24, required emergency surgery as did his friend, Kevin Rainsford, 30.

The attack was the latest in a series of incidents on the Phipps Bridge estate, which have left a community shaken and sparked fears crime in the area is out of control.

Merton Police said they had stepped up patrols on the estate.

Friends of the family said Mr Joseph-Webber’s wife, Michelle Stevenson, was too distraught to comment and described them as quiet and respected members of the community.

It has emerged a 19-year-old was shot in the head on the estate a week earlier during a separate incident.

Unconfirmed reports also suggested a man in his 30s was beaten over the head with his bicycle and left for dead by a gang two weeks ago in Rock Terrace, the location of Tuesday evening’s triple-stabbing.

Chairman of the Phipps Bridge Residents’ Association, Richard Law, has appealed for urgent action to make the estate safer – including improved lighting and more police meetings.

He said: “It’s all well and good the police showing their face now, but it’s shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted.

“Crime is out of control and no one has been prepared to listen. There’s one gang terrorising the area. You’ll often see 30 or 40 of them in our front gardens for no good reason but the police do nothing to move them on.”

Mr Joseph-Webber remains in a neurological ward in a stable condition but his long-term prognosis is unclear.

His son was released from hospital on Friday after surgery to three wounds close to his liver, but re-admitted on Sunday where he remains.

Mr Rainsford has been discharged following surgery to a lacerated artery and is expected to make a full recovery.

A 17-year-old appeared at Wimbledon Youth Court last Thursday charged with possession of an offensive weapon, inflicting grievous bodily harm on Kevin Rainsford, and assaulting Mr Joseph-Webber’s daughter.

Four other men, aged 17 to 20, remain on bail in connection with the same incident.