Today (Wednesday 14 June), Erik Feld was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 28 years at The Old Bailey, for the violent murder of Ranjith Kankanamalage in Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park on 16 August 2021.
Lutfur Rahman, Executive Mayor of Tower Hamlets, said: “I hope today’s sentence brings some comfort and justice to the friends and family of Ranjith Kankanamalage, whose violent murder deeply affected the community in Tower Hamlets and beyond.
“There is no place for hate in Tower Hamlets and we will continue to come together to oppose extremism and racism in all its forms.
“Together with partners including the police, we will continue to work to improve community safety, tackle all forms of hate and discrimination, and promote equity, diversity, and inclusion for all the communities we serve, including LGBTQ+ people.
“Anyone impacted by hate crimes of any type should always report it”.
Leon Silver, Tower Hamlets Inter Faith Forum representative from the Tension Monitoring Group, said:
“Everyone has the right to live their life in peace and safety, free from abuse, discrimination and prejudice. I condemn the appalling homophobic murder of Ranjith Kankanamalage, and sincerely hope the sentencing assuages at least some of the pain Ranjith’s family and friends will continue to feel”.
Posted on Wednesday 14th June 2023