A 20-year-old man has been found guilty of two vicious attacks which left one homeless man dead and another physically and mentally disabled.

Kenneth Smith was convicted of the murder of Lalji Joshi and the attempted murder of John Fennessey in Queen's Gardens last September. He denied the charges.

An Old Bailey jury unanimously found Smith guilty of murdering Mr Joshi and by an 11-to-one majority of attempting to murder Mr Fennessey last Wednesday.

Mr Joshi, 64, was beaten and kicked to death by Smith from Napier Walk, Admiral Way, Andover, as he slept in a stairwell leading to Fairfield Halls in the early hours of September 16.

The court heard how Smith, who had a drink problem and had taken cocaine at the time of the attack, had already attempted to kill Mr Fennessey, almost scalping the homeless 43-year-old with a knife in Queen's Gardens.

Mr Fennessey, who remains in hospital, suffered injuries to his bowels and was left doubly incontinent and brain damaged.

According to the police, Smith is believed to have assaulted other homeless men in Croydon in September, including an earlier attack on Mr Joshi.

Jad Adams, chairman of Nightwatch, said in a letter to the Croydon Guardian: "Sad to say, attacks on homeless people are common, but the attacks which led to the life imprisonment of Kenneth Smith last week were the worst we have known in our almost 30 years of caring for homeless people in Croydon."

He said it was difficult to describe the fear among homeless people in Croydon following the attacks but praised the police for their swift response.

Detective Chief Inspector Mick Duthie of the Metropolitan Police's serious crime directorate, said: "I hope the conviction sends a message that the Metropolitan Police service supports all communities in Croydon, including vulnerable communities like the homeless."

Smith is expected to be sentenced at the Old Bailey on August 17.