Three schoolboys accused of battering a pensioner unconscious in front of his three-year-old granddaughter were due to be charged with murder today after the victim died from his injuries.

Retired care home warden Ekram Haque, 67, had been in a coma since suffering fatal brain damage in an attack outside a mosque in Tooting, south London, last week.

Friends and family were at his bedside when doctors decided to switch off his ventilator last night.

Mr Haque's long-standing friend Aslam Haidri, 47, a postmaster from Mitcham, told the Standard: “His brain was so badly damaged he just couldn't survive. He died in my arms in hospital.

“He had many friends in the community and we will always miss him.

“I cannot believe this has really happened. There was no reason for it -- he was a totally innocent man standing with a small child. Everyone is in shock.”

The victim's son Irfan Haque, 35, and granddaughter Marian, three, who was “deeply disturbed” after witnessing the assault, were also with him at the hospital, along with other relatives who had flown to London from Pakistan and Australia. They were all said to be too upset to talk.

Four suspects aged between 12 and 15 have already been remanded in custody charged with grievous bodily harm, but prosecutors were today set to apply for murder charges to be added against three of the boys when they appear before JPs at Sutton Youth Court.

A funeral service is planned for later today at the Idara-e-Jaaferiya Islamic centre in Church Lane, where a gang of around 20 teenagers is said to have ambushed Mr Haque and two other worshippers last Monday evening.

One of the other victims, Atta Mir, 74, told how he was knocked unconscious after suddenly being surrounded by four or five black youths while waiting for his wife outside the mosque after prayers.

The retired engineer from Epsom, Surrey, said: “They asked for the time and I remember lifting my arm to see my watch. The next thing I knew I was waking up in hospital. They knocked me out cold.

“I spoke to Mr Haque and the little girl just before I left. When I heard later what had happened to my old friend I thought I am lucky to be alive.

“It is terrible and very shocking. This is a place of peace. We will pray for our friend.”
Murder squad detectives were making house-to-house enquiries for the second time last night in what has become a homicide investigation.

Uniformed police patrols have also been stepped up in the area for the rest of the holy month of Ramadan as community tensions increase following fears the attack may have been racially motivated.

Two other pensioners were assaulted nearby five days before the mosque attack. All five victims were Asian and four were OAPs.

Police sources said the attack seemed to have been “out-and-out wanton thuggery with for no reason except to get laughs”, but detectives have not ruled out a racial motive.

A team led by DCI John McFarlane is researching other incidents involving teenage gangs in the area to see if there is a wider pattern of Asians being targeted.

He said: “There may have been other incidents that have not been reported to police, so we urge anybody who has been attacked to get in touch.”

Anyone with information should call police on on 020 8721 4205 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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