Charges brought against further two people as hospital prepares to move Reker Ahmed, 17, out of intensive care

Five people have appeared in court accused of violent disorder after a teenage asylum seeker was beaten unconscious in a suspected hate crime in south London.



Daryl Davis, 20, Danyelle Davis, 24, Barry Potts, 20, George Walder, 20, and Jack Walder, 24, were charged on Monday after Reker Ahmed was attacked near a bus stop in Croydon.

Reker, a 17-year-old Kurdish-Iranian who arrived unaccompanied in the UK a few months ago, was left seriously injured in the assault on Friday. On Monday, he was expected to be moved from intensive care to a mainstream ward as his condition was no longer thought to be life-threatening.

Two friends, Dilshad Mohammed and Hamo Mustafa, had escaped with minor injuries.

On Monday, George Walder was additionally charged with racially aggravated grievous bodily harm. All five defendants are from Croydon.

Daryl and Danyelle Davis – who are siblings – and Potts, her partner, are to be released on bail. George Walder was remanded in custody while his brother, Jack, was bailed. The defendants will appear at Croydon crown court on 1 May.

Up to 30 people were involved in the incident that left Reker with a fractured skull and a blood clot on his brain.

A 17-year-old girl and a 23-year-old man, Kyran Evans, both from the Croydon area, were charged with violent disorder on Monday and will appear at Croydon magistrates court on Tuesday. A 19-year-old man arrested on Monday remains in custody.

A total of 16 arrests have now been made in the investigation, while seven people have been charged. Seven of those arrested remain in custody, while two people have been released with no further action.

Scotland Yard said the victim was chased and subjected to a “brutal attack”. DCI Jane Corrigan said he had no family in the UK and detectives were trying to track down his relatives in Iran. Police said Reker has a legal guardian and goes to school in Croydon.

Corrigan said: “As any mum would know, if this happened to your son you’d want to be contacted so we’re making every effort we can to trace his family.”

Asked if there were tensions over immigration or race in Croydon, Corrigan said: “I’ve not seen anything like this, not only in Croydon – in London – in a long, long time. This is so rare. Of course we have hate crime reported, and it’s something we take very seriously, but I’ve not seen an attack of this nature for a very long time and it is very disturbing.”

Speaking to BBC News, she added: “We are looking at anywhere between 20 to 30 people involved in this attack. This is power by numbers. There’s been an incident outside a pub. They have obviously picked on three young men. This has turned into this violent brawl where somebody has been viciously beaten and is very lucky not to have lost his life.”

Police are asking anyone with video footage of the incident to come forward.

Theresa May condemned the “absolutely despicable attack”, saying she backed the comments made by Conservative MP for Croydon Central, Gavin Barwell, who called the attackers “scum”. The prime minister said police were urgently seeking information about the attack and urged witnesses to come forward.

“This was an absolutely abominable attack, it’s completely unacceptable,” she told reporters on Monday as she departed for a three-day trip to Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said hate crime had no place in London, while Barwell, said he was appalled by the attack.

DI Gary Castle, from Croydon CID, said earlier that Reker and two friends had been approached outside the Goat public house in the Shrublands area. He added: “He [Reker] sustained serious head and facial injuries as a result of this attack, which included repeated blows to the head by a large group of attackers.

“A number of people came to the aid of the victim as he lay unconscious and injured following the assault. Two friends of the victim managed to escape the attackers and suffered only minor injuries. There are no other reported injuries.

“If you can help identify any of these people please call my team without delay. All communities stand together against hate. No one should be subjected to violent behaviour, especially those who have come to London to seek refugee and a place of safety.”

Detectives are investigating whether some of those involved had been drinking in the Goat. Managers at the pub said: “We will do anything within our powers to help police to bring those that carried out this act to book. To the victim, we pray for his speedy recovery.”

Khan said: “Hate crime has no place in London, Britain or anywhere else. London is an amazingly diverse city. We don’t just accept our differences, we embrace and celebrate them. Our communities will not be divided by those who seek to sow hate. And we will always take a zero-tolerance approach to hate crimes of any type.”

Barwell said: “I think most people in Croydon will be as appalled as I am that what appears to have happened is a young man who came to this country seeking sanctuary has apparently been targeted because of his ethnic background. It’s an appalling crime, and I hope the people responsible are caught quickly and receive the full force of British justice.”