Man denies murdering a gay man in East London Cemetery
Ranjith 'Roy' Kankanamalage died of blunt force trauma to the head last August.
Words: Alastair James; pictures: Metropolitan Police
A man has denied murdering a gay man with a hammer in an East London cemetery last year.
51-year-old Ranjith ‘Roy’ Kankanamalage was pronounced dead after being found unresponsive in Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park on Monday 16 August.
Eric Feld, 36, of Tredegar Road in Bow, East London, was arrested for a second time on Friday 21 January after previously being arrested and released in connection with the murder.
“We miss him terribly”
According to the BBC, on Tuesday (12 April) the court heard how Kankanamalage was beaten to death using a hammer. Feld pleaded not guilty.
The Metropolitan Police have previously confirmed that a post mortem determined the cause of death to be “blunt force trauma to the head”.
A trial date has been set for 6 March 6 2023 with a case management hearing on 15 July.
At a vigil in October, a friend described the Sri Lankan national as a “kind and generous soul” who is “missed terribly”.
“Ranjith was our dear friend and we miss him terribly, he was a person like you and me who had dreams and aspirations,” the friend said.
“Ranjith was a kind and generous soul who arrived from Sri Lanka 12 years ago to further his studies and support his family.
“It is difficult to process and comprehend what has happened, but we hope justice is served to whoever carried out this devastating crime.”