JOSHUA Cohen was the heir to the beloved Brick Lane bagel shop named Beigel Bake, before he was jailed for murdering his mum and sister.
He was given an indefinite hospital order after the killing, but the shop which made his family millionaires remains open to serve thousands of people every day.
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Cohen family business
The Cohen family own the world famous Beigel Bake in Brick Lane, which serves thousands of customers who have traveled miles to taste one of their famous baked goods.
The shop is open for 24-hours-a-day and first opened its doors to its customers in 1974.
Daniel Cohen, one of the current directors of the shop, opened up to Strand Magazine about how much the shop meant to him.
He said: “My home away from home.
“It is a place where I go and see family members and members from the public that I’ve known since I was young.”
The shop was even a hit with Prince William and Kate Middleton, who dropped in to try their hand at baking some of the shop’s delicious treats.
Daniel’s father, Asher Cohen, passed away in 2016 and named Daniel and his brother Nathan as directors of the business.
A shocking murder
Joshua was said to be living in a converted garage attached to the family’s home in Golders Green, North London.
He had previously worked in Beigel Bake, but left after having “issues” with customers.
According to The Guardian, he was even not allowed inside the family home without one of his brothers being present.
However, he gained access to the house on August 11, 2027, when his mother Leah Cohen let him in.
Then, Joshua stabbed his 64-year-old mother before also killing his 33-year-old sister Hannah.
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Joshua’s schizophrenia diagnosis
Days after the brutal killing, Joshua was arrested and sent to Broadmoor hospital in 2018, where he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.
Then, he was brought before the court in the Old Bailey to face justice.
Joshua entered guilty pleas to the manslaughter of his mum and sister by diminished responsibility, but denied murdering them.
Judge Richard Marks KC told the family: “I
have read of your concerns expressed by you for the future but I’m entirely confident it will be a long time before he will be released in the community.”
He added that Joshua is clearly a “very, very sick man”, before handing Joshua an indefinite hospital order.
Hannah’s sister-in-law and business partner Deborah opened up to MailOnline about how much the family misses Hannah and Leah.
Describing Hannah, she said: “She was absolutely selfless and did everything for everyone else.
“She was the greatest cook.
We went over there every Sunday to eat together as a family and she made the most amazing food.”
Deborah also posted on Facebook that her and Hannah’s cake-making business, Coco Cakes, would be closing its doors.
Beigel Bite remains open, despite Joshua’s crime, and remains a highly recommended spot by chefs for a cheap and delicious meal.
When asked about what makes the shop so special, Daniel told the Strand: It’s not like these chains that buy a plot, kit it out and there you go – brand new shop.
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“And in terms of the atmosphere, I don’t think it’s just the décor; we’re all friendly, we all know each other, we all grew up together.
“So I think it’s completely different to some generic chain that just gets churned out every few weeks.”
