BRITAIN: London was shocked last night by the murder of a young Asian boy, beaten to death then burned beyond recognition, his charred remains dumped in a public park, writes Frank Millar, London Editor
And in a second hammer-blow to public confidence in a crime-hit capital, police released details of the "motiveless" murder of an 82-year-old woman, Mrs Violetta Vella, who died from multiple stab wounds after being attacked in her north London home.
News of the horrific killings came as Scotland Yard figures showed a massive 49 per cent increase in street crime in London last month, and amid warnings that the capital is heading for record levels of gangland violence this year if the present murder rate continues.
Detectives described the killing of the young Asian boy, believed to be aged between 12 and 14 years, as "horrendous".
Discovered lying face down beside a tree in Roe Green Park, Kingsbury, north-west London at 8.30 a.m. his body naked, the boy had been bludgeoned around the head and upper body, then set alight in what police believe was an attempt to conceal his identity.
At first police believed he had been stabbed, and his burns were so extensive they were initially unable to say whether he was white, black or Asian, or whether he might still have been alive when his body was set alight. However post-mortem tests later found his serious head injuries to have been the cause of death.
No boy matching his description had recently been reported to the police as missing, although they said there was "no similarity" to the recent discovery of a young boy's torso in the Thames.
Police were last night carrying out house to house inquiries and studying CCTV footage from the area. They were also checking pupil registers at local schools although the mid-term holiday meant no child would have been reported missing had they disappeared over the past few days.
Police believe the killing took place between sundown on Monday and yesterday morning's gruesome discovery. As the search for witnesses and evidence continued, the number one priority was to establish the identity of the victim.
The body of Mrs Vella was discovered by her daughter on Monday evening. She died from multiple stab wounds, including one to the throat which severed a vital nerve, in an attack in an area of Finsbury Park notorious for its high robbery rate.
Mrs Vella, who suffered from arthritis and walked with crutches, suffered slash injuries as she tried to defend herself.