Chicken Cottage suspect cleared of murder

10:36am Friday 16th May 2008

A Sri Lankan man yesterday admitted his part in a gang fight that left a Tamil man stabbed to death in a takeaway.

Sainsbury's worker Prabaskaran Kannan, 28, suffered 31 stab and slash wounds to his head as the two mobs clashed.

His friend Naresh Mylvaganam, 21, was severely beaten with a cricket bat in a nearby alley.

Their attackers were members of the Croydon-based Jaffna Boys who had a long standing vendetta with the victim's gang, the Tooting Tamils, it is claimed.

They confronted each other on June 15 last year in Chicken Cottage in Upper Tooting Road after the Jaffna Boys challenged their rivals to a fight on their own turf, the Old Bailey has heard.

Alleged gang members Vabeesan Shivarajah, 22 of no fixed address, Aziz Miah, 20 of Sumner Road, Croydon, Mahitharn Ratnasingham, 23 of Lesley Grove, Croydon, Asif Kumbah, 20 of Grassmere Road, Croydon, Kirush Nathankumar, 18 of Purley Way, Croydon, and Mayuran Srivinayagam, 25 of Greyhound Terrace, Streatham, were all charged with murder.

Ratnasingham was formally cleared of the killing by Judge Martin Stephens QC at the close of the prosecution case in court yesterday.

He directed the jury to return a verdict of not guilty after deciding Ratnasingham had no case to answer.

Following the decision, the defendant admitted to attacking Mr Mylvaganam and friend Arunan Thanabalasingham, 20, who was also injured by a flying bottle.

Ratnasingham admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent and actual bodily harm, allegations which he had previously denied.

He will be remanded in custody until he is sentenced for his part in the attack at the conclusion of the trial of the five other men, who all deny murder.

The five further deny causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Naresh Mylvaganam and assault occasioning actual bodily harm on Mr Thanabalasingham.

The court previously heard how the two gangs had been feuding since an incident in early 2006, when Mr Thanabalasingham was jailed for smashing the windscreen of a car belonging to the Jaffna Boys.

The ill-feeling between the two groups had led to a number of "violent incidents" ahead of the June attack, the jury was told.

The trial continues.

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