Man Pleads Not Guilty To “Homophobic Murder” Of Ranjith Kankanamalage
April 13, 2022A man suspected of killing Ranjith Kankanamalage has pleaded not guilty to the crime in an appearance at the Old Bailey.
Erik Feld, 36, of Tredegar Road, Tower Hamlets, spoke via video-link on April 12.
He has been remanded in custody and his trial is set to begin on March 6, 2023, the BBC reported.
There will also be a case management hearing on July 15, 2022.
Kankanamalage’s body was found dead in Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, East London, in the early hours of August 16.
According to Gay Times, the 50-year-old, who was known as Roy by friends, was declared deceased at the scene by members of the London Ambulance Service who arrived at around 6.30 a.m.
He was found to have a head injury and a post-mortem examination later ruled that the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head, believed to be from a hammer.
In a statement released by police, it was confirmed that the “incident is being treated as a homophobic hate crime.”
They urged the LGBTQ+ community in the area to report anything suspicious to police immediately, especially at night.
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