Asylum seeker in brutal mob attack ‘lucky to be alive’
A WOMAN sobbed next to her boyfriend in court yesterday as they were accused of a ‘horrendous’ racially motivated attack on a schoolboy asylum seeker involving up to 30 people.
Dressed in a black sweatshirt and grey tracksuit bottoms, Danyelle Davis, 24, clutched the hand of Barry Potts, 20, in the dock charged in connection with the assault on a Kurdish Iranian.
Reker Ahmed, 17, was ‘lucky to be alive’ after being subjected to a ‘prolonged, violent assault’ which included being kicked and having his head stamped on, police said.
The child refugee had to be put into a coma with a fractured spine, fractured eye socket and bleeding on the brain after being set upon because of his ethnicity, Croydon magistrates’ court heard.
His two asylum seeker friends were also chased by the group, who stole mr Ahmed’s watch and two gold chains after beating him, it was alleged. Fellow accused George walder, 20, was told to take his hands out of his tracksuit pockets by Deputy District Judge Richard Hawgood at the start of the 30minute hearing.
His brother, Jack walder, gave the thumbs-up sign to relatives in the public gallery.
Police have made 16 arrests but are hunting up to 30 people said to be involved in the attack at just before midnight in Croydon, South London, on Friday night. Prime minister Theresa may condemned the attack as ‘absolutely despicable’.
mr Ahmed was with two friends at a bus stop on their way home when they were set upon. Speaking at the scene yesterday, Detective Superintendent Jane Corrigan graphically described how he had been ‘viciously beaten’ and would be ‘scarred for life’.
‘This is a horrendous attack which is racially motivated,’ she said. ‘He is lucky not to have lost his life. This was the most extreme type of attack, where you have individuals stamping on a person’s head – there is no provocation for that.
‘This was an unprovoked attack… they specifically asked if they were asylum seekers and when they confirmed they were, they were set upon by this group that then grew.’
She added: ‘I’ve not seen an attack of this nature for very long time, and it is really disturbing.’
miss Corrigan added: ‘I genuinely don’t think people have gone out with the intention to commit this horrific attack. You’ve got a really difficult mix of youth, time of night, alcohol, and it only takes one person to say something to spark off something massive.’
mr Ahmed was living in Croydon with a foster family, having only recently arrived in the UK. He has been moved out of intensive care but officers were waiting to speak to him last night and trying to trace his family in Iran.
Danyelle Davis and her brother Daryl Davis, 20, Potts, and the walder brothers, all from Croydon, spoke only to confirm their names, dates of birth, and addresses as they were accused of violent disorder at yesterday’s hearing.
George walder, who is also charged with racially aggravated grievous bodily harm, was remanded in custody. The rest were released on bail. They are due to appear at Croydon Crown Court on may 1. Kyran Evans, 23, and a 17-year-old girl were last night charged with violent disorder and are due in court today.
Police are also trying to trace the driver and occupants of a white hatchback with a black roof that stopped at the scene during the attack.
‘Not seen attack like this for a long time’