Tooting man was beaten by Tamil gang, court hears

5:21pm Thursday 24th April 2008

A 22-year-old has told a court how he was beaten with a bottle during a Tamil gang fight which left one man dead.

Giving evidence for the prosecution Arunan Thanabalasingham, from Tooting, told the Old Bailey how he ran through Chicken Cottage in Upper Tooting Road followed by a rival Sri Lankan gang on June 15 last year.

Mr Thanabalasingham had been with pal Prabaskaran Kannan, 28, from Trinity Road and another friend when they jumped over the fast food store's counter to escape six members of the rival Tamil gang.

It is alleged the rival gang caught up and then stabbed Mr Kannan several times killing him.

Mr Thanabalasingham, 22, told the court: "I jumped over the counter, and an employee held me."

"I struggled and managed to get rid of him, and ran to get to an exit, but it took me back to the public side.

"I saw the gang again and turned around, and that's when I was struck by a bottle."

Suffering a broken tooth and cut lip, Mr Thanabalasingham ran through the kitchen and storeroom, crawled through a shutter and out to an alley behind Chicken Cottage.

He jumped over a bit of a broken fence and sprinted down Mandrake Road before hiding behind some bushes in a front garden.

He said he had no idea what had happened to his friend Naresh Mylvaganam and flatmate Prabaskaran Kannan, known as Praba, who ran through the shop with him.

"When I was running I didn't look back," he said.

"I didn't know what had happened to Praba."

Praba did not make it over the fence, the court heard.

The 28-year-old was found by police that night, lying motionless in the alley with his eyes wide open.

He bled to death from multiple stab wounds. Mr Mylvaganam said he was beaten with a cricket bat and had to have 16 stitches in his head.

Mr Thanabalasingham glared across the court at the six defendants before giving his evidence. The court heard they are all associated with a gang known as the Jaffna boys, or the Croydon Tamils.

Mr Thanabalasingham and his friends are known as the Tooting Tamils, or You and Me Gang, it is claimed.

Croydon residents Aziz Miah, 20, Kirush Nathankumar, 18, Manitharn Ratnasingham, 23 and Asif Kumbay, 20, all deny murdering Mr Kannan. Vabeesan Shivarajah from Blackheath and Mayuran Srivinayagam from Streatham also gave not guilty pleas.

The six also deny assault of Mr Thanabalasingham and causing grievous bodily harm on Mr Mylvaganam.

The trial continues.

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