Asian 'beaten to death'

A racist gang ambushed Panchadcharam Sahitharan, 28, a Tamil refugee, and battered him to death with baseball bats and sticks in east London on 29 December last year, an Old Bailey jury was told yesterday. It was one of four attacks on Ansians in the area that day. Gary Hoskin, 21, of Manor Park, east London, is accused of murder and affray. The trial continues today.