A homophobic man with an obsession with extreme violence has been found guilty of beating a man to death with a hammer in a darkened cemetery.
Erik Feld, 37, hid in the shadows behind a monument in east London before launching himself on Ranjith Kankanamalage in the early hours of the morning, the Old Bailey heard this week.
Mr Kankanamalage, 50, was hit 12 times in the face and head with the hammer, causing "catastrophic" injuries that led to his death.
He was found by a member of the public on a path in Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park later on August 16 2021.
Jurors were told that Mr Kankanamalage was a regular visitor to the cemetery, which is a known "cruising" hotspot.
It was suggested in Feld’s defence that the defendant got “the wrong end of the stick” and hit out in self-defence after the victim’s “gaydar malfunctioned” and he made a pass at him.
Under cross-examination, the defendant embarked on an astonishing homophobic rant about the victim, who has a family in Sri Lanka and was in a relationship in Britain.
Prosecutor Paul Cavin KC told jurors that Feld had “dark places in his soul” that were “not in the darkest recesses but very near the surface”.
He said: “The extraordinary homophobic outburst is obviously something you will not forget.”
The Old Bailey jury deliberated for three hours and 23 minutes before unanimously finding Feld guilty of murder on Thursday afternoon.
Sentencing was adjourned for a psychiatric report to be prepared on the defendant, who has a personality disorder.
The court had previously heard how Feld’s interest in extreme violence first emerged during a mental health assessment in 2017.
The defendant revealed he used to go out “with a hammer, screwdriver or razor blades, hoping to catch someone unawares … down alleys”.
He said he sometimes went out with a weapon “for example a hammer” in case an “opportunity presented itself”.
Feld was arrested on August 20 2021 as he was awaiting sentence for waving a claw hammer outside a Poundland store just two days after the killing.
A search of his home in Tower Hamlets, east London, uncovered two mallets and a sledge hammer in a hallway cupboard, and a third mallet in a living-room cupboard.
Jurors were not told Feld had 10 previous convictions for 18 offences between 2002 to August 19 2021 including criminal damage, sex assault, battery and possession of an offensive weapon.
Commenting on the outcome of the case, Detective Chief Inspector Joanna Yorke from the Metropolitan Police's Specialist Crime unit said: “From the outset, we have tried to ensure Ranjith’s extended family and friends both in the UK and Sri Lanka, and the wider LGBTQ+ population in Tower Hamlets were at the heart of our investigation. I hope they can all feel some sense of justice now that Ranjith’s killer has been convicted.
“Erik Feld is a dangerous and violent man – while he has never disclosed why he attacked Ranjith with such force, he is clearly someone who is driven by an all-encompassing hatred. He will now quite justly spend a considerable amount of time behind bars.
“I know it isn’t always easy for LGBTQ+ people to speak to police, and you may have reason to be distrustful, but I want to reassure you that if you do need to contact the Met, you will be treated with respect, and the information provided will be handled in the greatest confidence.”