Murdered by drunk racist

A boy of 17 was killed in a racist attack in the street, his friends claimed today.

Nilanthan Murddi was slashed across the throat by a drunken white man who moments before is said to have hurled racial insults at him.

The teenager was chatting with about six friends in Sumner Road, Croydon, in the early hours of Saturday when a minicab pulled up at traffic lights.

The passenger, who was arguing with the driver, exchanged words with the group before being driven away. But he came back shortly afterwards and a fight broke out in which Nilanthan, known to his friends as Nilo, was stabbed.

Amir Butt, 23, said: "A minicab pulled up and there was a guy in the back who was really drunk who started shouting, 'You f***ing Paki'.

"Our friends were there and said, 'Look, mate, we don't want any problems, just go away because you're being racist'. Then the same guy came back and walked towards Nilanthan and threw a punch. He must have had a blade in his hand because he ended up with a slashed throat."

Nilanthan, from the Tamil community, is the 23rd teenager to be murdered in London this year and the 17th to be fatally stabbed. His friends tried to save him before ambulance crews and police arrived. Abi Uthayakumar, 17, said: "It was a little blade but blood just went everywhere. I took my shirt off to help and it was soaked right through."

Local councillor Mike Selva appealed for calm today. He said: "I am very concerned about community reactions because of the different races involved. It's very shocking."

The teenager's father, Ramuppillai, was said to be "inconsolable" while his mother Kalaimagal could be heard wailing inside the family home in New Addington. She had been at her sick mother's bedside in India when she was told of her son's death and flew home immediately.

Nilanthan's sister, Santhiya, 18, said her brother had recently given up studying A-levels at Langley Park School to work as a waiter at the family's Royal Masala restaurant in Purley.

She added: "My brother is gone but every day, every second we will be thinking of him. My mother is destroyed. My father cannot accept his only son is dead. He just keeps repeating the words, 'He's gone' over and over again."

Santhiya added: "He was kind and would do anything to help anyone."

Met detectives are trying to trace the driver of the minicab, a blue Ford Mondeo. Some residents claimed Nilanthan was connected to Tamil street gangs but police said there was no reason to suspect the attack was gang-related. Scotland Yard initially said there was nothing they were aware of to suggest the attack was racially motivated but are keen to hear from any new witnesses.

Detective Chief Inspector Tim Grattan-Kane said: "Anyone who saw the disturbance is asked to contact police."

A 31-year-old man arrested on Saturday was released on police bail pending further inquiries. Anyone with information should call the incident room on 020 8721 4066 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.