Homophobic hammer attacker who battered man to death is jailed

Homophobic hammer attacker who had ‘fascination with killing in gothic splendour’ and picked cemetery setting to batter 51-year-old man to death is jailed for at least 28 years

• Erik Feld, 37, was sentenced to at least 28 years behind bars at the Old Bailey 
• He battered Ranjith Kankanamalage, 51, to death with a hammer in a cemetery 
• Court heard that Feld chose a ‘gothic and monochromatic’ setting for the attack 

A homophobic man who battered a man to death with a claw hammer in the purposely-chosen gothic setting of a cemetery has been jailed for at least 28 years. 

Erik Feld, 37, hid in the shadows behind a monument before launching himself on Ranjith Kankanamalage, 51, in the early hours of the morning, the Old Bailey heard.

Mr Kankanamalage, was hit 12 times in the face and head with the hammer in East London, causing ‘catastrophic’ injuries. The victim was found by a member of the public on a path in Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park later on August 16, 2021.

The court heard that Feld, who has a diagnosed personality disorder, had deliberately chosen a ‘gothic and monochromatic setting’ to kill the victim.  

He often went out ‘with a hammer, screwdriver or razor blades, hoping to catch someone unawares … down alleys’, the court heard. He also admitted to a mental health assessor in 2017 that he sometimes went out with a weapon ‘for example a hammer’ in case an ‘opportunity presented itself’.

Feld collected hammers and had watched dozens of graphic videos of attacks in the weeks before the attack. 

Erik Feld, 37, hid in the shadows behind a monument before launching himself on Ranjith Kankanamalage, 51, in the early hours of the morning, the Old Bailey heard

He was arrested over Mr Kankanamalage’s death four days later, after threatening a Poundland security guard with a hammer, but subsequently released on police bail. He was rearrested in January 2022, when DNA taken from blood on the victim’s fingernails linked him to the crime. 

Jurors were told that Mr Kankanamalage was a regular visitor to the ‘spooky’ cemetery, which was known as a ‘cruising’ hotspot.

Under cross-examination, Feld embarked on an astonishing homophobic rant about the victim, who had an ex-wife and two children in Sri Lanka and an ex-civil partner in the UK. 

Afterwards, prosecutor Paul Cavin KC told jurors that Feld had ‘dark places in his soul’ that were ‘not in the darkest recesses but very near the surface’.

He said: ‘The extraordinary homophobic outburst is obviously something you will not forget.’

It was suggested in Feld’s defence that he got ‘the wrong end of the stick’ and hit out in self-defence after the victim’s ‘Gaydar malfunctioned’ and he made a pass. 

Giving evidence in his trial, Feld claimed he had taken the hammer to hit trees for stress relief. He also claimed Mr Kankanamalage had attacked him after he went to the park with a hammer to hit some trees to help him sleep.

Feld claimed he had taken the hammer to hit trees for stress relief. He also claimed Mr Kankanamalage had attacked him after he went to the park with a hammer to hit some trees to help him sleep

He described being drawn to ‘spooky’ gothic places, saying: ‘I decided to challenge myself, walk in the dark. I kept looking over my shoulder, I was not expecting to see anyone.’

His lawyer, Isabella Forshall KC, described him as a sad man ‘cut off’ from society who fantasised about ‘being happy and normal’.

However, Mr Cavin dismissed Feld’s version of events as ‘inherently unlikely’, pointing out just one blow with the hammer would have incapacitated the victim.

Mr Cavin also told the court: ‘The defendant’s undoubted extreme homophobia only became apparent in his outbursts during cross-examination.

‘The defendant’s evidence was that he was fascinated with killing with a hammer. He had a fascination with killing in gothic splendour.

‘It can’t be certain that the very fact that he chose the victim in the park at that time, meant he was going looking for somebody he believed to be, or assumed to be, gay.

‘Nor can it be said that coming across someone who was gay is inevitable, because people were also known to go there for drinking or taking drugs. Of course, it was a student place as well.

‘Perhaps he realised that if he ever acted out these fantasies, a gay man might be one of the candidates.

Mr Kankanamalage, was hit 12 times in the face and head with the hammer in East London, causing ‘catastrophic’ injuries

READ MORE: PICTURED: Homophobic murderer, 37, ‘obsessed with extreme violence’ as he is found guilty of beating victim to death with a hammer in east London cemetery

Erik Feld. 37, struck 51-year-old Sri Lankan Ranjith Kankanamalage (right) 12 times

‘We have come to the conclusion that although suspicions might remain, we could not be sure that it was motivated by homophobia.

‘Whatever the defendant’s motivation, Mr Kankanamalage was a vulnerable individual in the sense that he was a solitary figure in a secluded park in the early hours of the morning.’

Mr Cavin also read a series of victim impact statements, including one from the victim’s daughter, Hiruni, on behalf of herself, her mother and younger brother who watched the sentencing by video link from Sri Lanka.

‘He loved us more than his own life and we were the most precious things in his life’, the letter read. ‘To further his studies he went to the UK in 2009 and completed two degrees.

‘Life was not easy for my father in the UK. He had to work day and night to provide for us.

‘After those 12 years of sacrifice, he was going to apply for citizenship, but postponed due to the start of the pandemic. His aim was to apply for an accountancy position at a UK bank.

‘But before his dreams came true, he was brutally murdered.

‘Now I can’t fulfil my dreams for my wonderful father who I loved so much. He was a very kind person, respected and treated all people equally.

‘We miss our father every time we see his photo. We miss his calls every night. We want to tell him how much we miss him. We would sacrifice everything just to see him one more time.’

John Kennedy, Mr Kankanamalage’s former civil partner between August 2012 and August 2017, described him as a ‘very caring, gentle, kind and understanding man’. 

‘This was such a cruel and cowardly attack on a kind man who was just chilling in the park’, he wrote. ‘His sudden death has affected me deeply,’ 

Jurors, who deliberated for three hours and 23 minutes to unanimously find Feld guilty of murder, were not told that he had 10 previous convictions for 18 offences between 2002 to August 19 2021 including criminal damage, sex assault, battery and possession of an offensive weapon.

Sentencing him to life with a minimum term of 28 years, Mr Justice Bryan told him: ‘I must sentence you for this horrific and abhorrent murder.

‘You chose a creepy gothic and monochromatic setting which no doubt fitted with your fantasies of carrying out an attack with a hammer. It wouldn’t matter to you what the sexuality of those in the park were, just that there would be individuals in the park.

Police at the gates of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park in East London on August 16, 2021

‘You went to that park with a claw hammer with the intention of hammering to death anyone you might find. You invented a cock-and-bull story that you had the hammer with you in the park to help you sleep and comfort you.’

Feld interrupted the judge at one point to yell from the dock: ‘You’ve made many mistakes. You’ve got it wrong.’

But Mr Justice Bryan continued: ‘Mr Kankanamalage was unarmed and meant you no harm. They jury rightly rejected your incredible account. This was a murderous assault perpetrated by you on a defenceless and innocent victim.

‘In the circumstances, I do not consider, and certainly cannot be sure, that the murder was motivated by hostility to a particular sexual orientation.’

Referring to Feld’s obsession with graphic hammer videos, he said: ‘How anyone could seek out and watch such material beggars belief. Such material is not confined to the dark web, but readily available on a regular search of the web.

‘No one could be anything but moved by the victim impact statements read out today. Unsurprisingly, your selfish, abhorrent and callous actions have had a devastating effect on his family.

‘This was a frenzied attack to kill one victim and to do so in a violent and aggressive manner. There is a lack of remorse, albeit I view that to an extent through the prism of your personality disorder.

‘In your wholly inappropriate rant during your cross examination you were almost calling yourself the victim. You’ve never apologised for your conduct even in the cold light of day.’

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