This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/london/7567115.stm
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 1 | Version 2 |
---|---|
Family in tribute to stab victim | Family in tribute to stab victim |
(31 minutes later) | |
The family of a 17-year-old youth stabbed to death in a street fight in south London have paid tribute to the "energetic and helpful" teenager. | The family of a 17-year-old youth stabbed to death in a street fight in south London have paid tribute to the "energetic and helpful" teenager. |
Nilanthan Murddi's sister Santhiya said her parents were "destroyed" by their only son's death. | |
"He was always giving a helping hand," she said. "Every day, every second, we will be thinking of him." | |
A 31-year-old man arrested in connection with Nilanthan's murder has since been released on bail. | A 31-year-old man arrested in connection with Nilanthan's murder has since been released on bail. |
Nilanthan was among six to eight people involved in the fight in Croydon early on Saturday. | Nilanthan was among six to eight people involved in the fight in Croydon early on Saturday. |
The teenager died three hours later in hospital. A post-mortem examination found he died from a single knife wound to the neck. | |
Dozens of family members have visited Nilanthan's Croydon home and the scene of the crime in Sumner Road. | Dozens of family members have visited Nilanthan's Croydon home and the scene of the crime in Sumner Road. |
The Murddi family are from Sri Lanka but have lived in Britain for more than 20 years. | |
His aunt Usha Muralitharan, 48, said: "He was a helpful boy. He was very family-orientated." | His aunt Usha Muralitharan, 48, said: "He was a helpful boy. He was very family-orientated." |
Others said he enjoyed playing football and cricket, and described him as the "joker of the family". | Others said he enjoyed playing football and cricket, and described him as the "joker of the family". |
His sister Santhiya, 18, said her parents were too upset to speak. His mother Kalaimagal flew back from a trip to India on hearing the news. | |
Both Santhiya and Nilanthan worked at the family business - the Royal Masala restaurant in Purley. | |
"Words can't express how I feel right now," she said. "He was energetic, always giving a helping hand whenever it was needed." | |
Taxi argument | |
Police want to contact a mini-cab driver, believed to have been in a blue Ford Mondeo, who stopped at traffic lights near the scene of the fight at about 0100 BST on Saturday. | |
Police believe his passenger, a white man, argued with him and "exchanged words" with Nilanthan and his friends who were standing nearby. | |
A Met Police spokeswoman said: "The suspect returned a little while later and was again involved in an exchange of words with Nilanthan and his friends, which resulted in the victim being injured." | |
Nilanthan was the 23rd teenager to be killed in a stabbing or a shooting in the capital this year. |