A CROYDON teenager was among a group of youths convicted of killing a dad-of-two at his local community centre.
Manunoor Rahman, 18, of High Street, Croydon was convicted of the murder of Donald McNicol at the Old Bailey today.
Mr McNicol, 54, of Burrow House, Stockwell Park Road, died in hospital two weeks after being punched, kicked and beaten with a chair by the group of four teenagers.
On December 2 last year Mr McNicol had visited the Community Centre in Aytoun Place, Stockwell to use its facilities, the court heard.
By late afternoon a group of young men had gathered inside the Centre and at about 4pm one of the group, Monsur Rahman, began remonstrating with Mr McNicol who had been sitting quietly using a computer.
Within seconds the rest of the group joined in, punching and kicking Mr McNicol before a chair was raised and brought down on his head. The teenagers then fled.
The attack left Mr McNicol with a serious head injury from which he never recovered. Despite undergoing neurosurgery at Kings College Hospital, life support was finally removed two weeks later and Mr McNicol died on December 15 2013.
DCI Tim Duffield of the Homicide and Serious Crime Command (HSCC), who headed the police investigation, said: "Mr McNicol was sitting quietly at a desk when this group singled him out and launched a most vicious and cowardly attack. Their actions were completely inexcusable.
"I would like to thank the many people who came forward with information, which is testament to the local community's intolerance of violent crime and the community's willingness to work with the police.
"In contrast to his assailants, Donald was a caring, dignified and thoughtful man. Our deepest sympathies go out to his friends and family as they try to come to terms with their loss. I just hope that today's convictions provide them with some small measure of solace."
Daniel Okello, 20,of Ambleside Avenue, Streatham and Monsur Rahman, 19, of Beadle Court, Church Road, Mitcham were also convicted of murder.
Ibrahim Ford, 17, of Bellefields Road, Brixton, was found not guilty of murder but was convicted of manslaughter.
They will be sentenced on 31 October.
