Man convicted of murder in Tower Hamlets Park Cemetery
The trial for the murder of Ranjith ‘Roy’ Kankanamalage has concluded at the Old Bailey. A man, Erik Feld, was convicted of his murder at the Old Bailey earlier today. Sentencing will be at a later date.
Ranjith was violently attacked by Feld in the Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park in August 2021. This had caused major concerns among the local residents and the LGBT+ community. Feld was charged after his DNA was found under the murdered man’s fingernails. We have since learnt that Feld had an obsession with hammer attacks and videos of such violent assaults. During the trial, he had an outburst of homophobic slurs directed at the public gallery. This reinforces the perception among the LGBT+ people that this was a homophobic attack.
Ranjith came to London to make a new life some time ago from Sri Lanka – a country where a legal sanctions and harsh prejudice against LGBTQ+ people still exists. Our condolences extend to his grown up children, his former husband and his wider family and friends. The violence he was subjected to was unconscionable, and we welcome the verdict.
We worked closely with the local police and the homicide team to ensure that they incorporated learning arising from how the Met initially mishandled murders perpetrated by Stephen Port. At a time when trust and confidence is at an all time low, we will continue to provide robust independent advice to improve the police service delivered to LGBTQ+ Londoners in all our diversity.
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