50-Year-Old In Alleged Homophobic Attack At Cemetery In East London

The man who was beaten to death in what is believed to be a homophobic attack has been identified and picture for the first time.

Per reports, the man was identified as Ranjith Kakanamalage or Roy. He lived in Tower Hamlet for years before he was brutally attacked last month.

The 50-year-old was found unresponsive at the Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park in east London on Aug. 16 at around 6:30 a.m. The London Ambulance Service arrived at the scene according to a report by My London.

Officers and paramedics discovered Roy with a blunt force trauma to the head that is believed to have led to his death. This was confirmed in a post-mortem done on Aug. 19.

Family members released the first photos to pay tribute to Ranjith. As of this writing, no arrests have been made in connection to the crime.

The incident is being treated as a homophobic hate crime. However, investigators handling the case are keeping an open mind until they find the proper evidence and recounts by witnesses what happened to the 50-year-old man.

Authorities are seeking the aid of the public for any information on the incident. The LGBT+ Advisory Group and LGBT+ charities that include Galop, Elop and Positive East have been advised to be extra careful as a result of the incident.

"I also want to be really clear that there is no place, at all, in London for any form of hate crime and the Met is absolutely committed to tackling it and supporting victims. We are here for you,” Detective chief superintendent Marcus Barnett stated.

Security around the area has been ramped up and locals are advised not to listen to loud music and be more aware of the thing around them. Police also urged them to report anything suspicious immediately.

"My officers are working 24/7 with local colleagues and drawing from resources across the Met. We will stop at nothing to bring justice to Ranjith's family, who have been left devastated following this awful incident,” Detective superintendent Pete Wallis said.