Tower Hamlets: Cemetery hammer attacker Erik Feld guilty of murder

Erik Feld, 37, has been found guilty of murder

A homophobic man with a long-standing obsession with extreme violence has been found guilty of battering a man to death in a cemetery.

Erik Feld, 37, hit Ranjith Kankanamalage repeatedly in the head with a claw hammer, causing "catastrophic" injuries.

The 50-year-old victim was found on a path in Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, east London, on 16 August 2021.

Prosecutor Paul Cavin KC told jurors Feld had "dark places in his soul".

The jury at the Old Bailey unanimously found Feld guilty of murder on Thursday.

Mr Justice Bryan adjourned sentencing for a psychiatric report to be prepared on the defendant, who has a personality disorder.

Ranjith Kankanamalage, 50, was found dead in Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park

Previously, Mr Cavan told the court that Feld's interest in extreme violence first emerged during a mental health assessment in 2017.

The defendant, of Tredegar Road, Bow, east London, revealed he used to go out "with a hammer, screwdriver or razor blades, hoping to catch someone unawares... down alleys".

'Extraordinary homophobic outburst'

A searches of his home, police uncovered two mallets and a sledge hammer in a hallway cupboard, a third mallet in a living-room cupboard and another hammer and a cut-throat razor by Feld's pillow.

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During the trial, jurors were told that Mr Kankanamalage was a regular visitor to the cemetery, known as a "cruising" hotspot.

It was suggested in Feld's defence that he hit out in self-defence after the victim made a pass at him.

Under cross-examination, the defendant embarked on a rant about the victim, described by Mr Cavan as an "extraordinary homophobic outburst".

The prosecutor added: "The evidence clearly demonstrates that prior to that evening, he had a deep-seated, long-standing serious interest in extreme violence using a hammer and that was an urge that could have been visited, perhaps, on anyone."

'A targeted attack'

Feld's lawyer, Isabella Forshall KC, told jurors the defendant was not a "homophobe".

She said that Feld hit Mr Kankanamalage in self-defence because he "got the wrong end of the stick" after the victim's "Gaydar malfunctioned" and he made a pass.

"He did not know why Mr Kankanamalage was approaching and Mr Kankanamalage wholly reasonably believed Mr Feld is there for the same thing," she said.

Feld had 10 previous convictions for 18 offences between 2002 and August 2021 including criminal damage, sexual assault, battery and possession of an offensive weapon.

Tower Hamlets resident, Jack Gilbert, said on behalf of the LGBTAG, a voluntary group of independent advisers working with the police: "The violence Ranjith was subjected to was horrific and we welcome the verdict. The perception amongst LGBTQ+ people was, and remains, that this was a targeted attack.

"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."

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