Local Weather

Partly Cloudy

Partly Cloudy

max temp: 16°C

min temp: 10°C

Five-day forecast

The Turkish killer who murdered two elderly men and attacked another five strangers with a wooden “caveman’s club” while stalking parks and woods near his Hornsey home was jailed for at least 35 years today.

To send a link to this page to a friend, you must be logged in.

Ali Koc was told his “brutal campaign of violence” was “carried out for the sake of showing you could intimidate and hurt other human beings” as he received two life sentences at Woolwich Crown Court this morning.

Koc, 30, from Lightfoot Road, Hornsey, had denied two murders and five counts of attempted GBH between January 5 and 31 last year, but was convicted on all counts earlier this week. His family members wept hysterically as stone-faced Koc was sentenced.

Judge Mr Justice David Calvert-Smith told him the attacks had revealed the “best and worst” of London’s citizens.

He beat his male victims with lumps of wood, before head-butting, punching and kicking them in a series of attacks in Alexandra Park, Priory Park, Queen’s Wood and Downhills Park.

Two of his victims - Victor Parsons, 67, and Keith Needell, 84 - suffered such severe injuries they later died in hospital.

Mr Parsons was the first to be attacked, in Alexandra Park on January 5. He died seven weeks later. Mr Needell was captured on CCTV leaving Highgate Tube station 30 minutes before being attacked in Queen’s Wood on January 31, on his way home to Wood Vale. He suffered a fractured skull and died six months later from his injuries and pneumonia.

Police fear cannabis user Koc, who has a long criminal record, lived with his parents and never had a job, may have attacked scores of others and appealed for any other victims to come forward.

The court had earlier heard how he had stalked green spaces near his home while wearing a pair of gloves emblazoned with a skull and cross bones. The gloves would later help identify him after he was caught on CCTV wearing them. His surviving victims also picked him out of ID parades and DNA and blood samples were found on his trainers.

The court heard none of the victims were robbed - even though Mr Parsons had £750 cash in his back pocket - or had items demanded from them, and there was no sexual motivation behind the attacks.

It was revealed that Koc has already served time for knife possession in 2008 and burglary in 2007, and has 18 previous convictions in all.

Share this article

Most Read News

Adrian Whitaker holding the rat he caught and killed.

Giant rat discovered under Highgate dishwasher as bins overflow onto streets

A giant rat is not something you generally expect to find beneath your dishwasher.

Read full story »

Other News Articles

Image
Click here to read the Digital Edition of the Broadway on screen
Use our Wedding site to help you plan your big day!
At WeddingSite we know how much you have to organise for your wedding day, that's why we have designed a set of FREE, simple-to-use tools to make the planning process easy & hassle-free. FIND OUT MORE
Find a date using our online dating and friend finder
You can meet new friends, find romance or simply meet up online with people sharing similar interests and hobbies. FIND OUT MORE
Find a local business using our online directory search
Need a plumber? Or a florist? Or anything else? Search our business directory to find Hornsey businesses in just a few seconds. FIND OUT MORE
Family notices from the Broadway, with readers' tributes
In memoriam, birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, best wishes & special days. FIND OUT MORE

Celebrity / Showbiz See all

Exclusive preview of new Tim Rice musical From Here to Eternity at West End Live

An exclusive preview of Tim Rice’s new musical From Here to Eternity will be among the performances at this year’s West End Live.

Read full story »