Turkish boy, 16, seriously wounded in East London stabbing, the latest incident involving our community this year
Abdullah Ercan was in intensive care for a week after the attack
Another Turkish teenager is fighting for his life after being stabbed repeatedly in a clash between groups in east London.
In the latest incident of violence in London involving the Turkish-speaking communities, Abdullah Ercan, the 16-year-old son of food distributor Recep, and two of his friends were badly injured in the attack in Leyton last week.
It is understood Abdullah and his friends had arranged a meeting with a gang in an attempt to recover their stolen bicycles when they were attacked. Abdullah received multiple stab wounds while one of his friends suffered a broken jaw.
Abdullah Ercan was kept in intensive care for a week and remains in hospital.
FIVE SUSPECTS
Police are still searching for five people they suspect were involved in the incident, which is believed to have started outside the Esso garage at the junction of Belvedere Road and Lea Bridge Road.
Abdullah Ercan
Police have released descriptions of three suspects.
One is described as a black, 5ft 7ins, with a slim build and wearing all dark clothing and a hoodie.
The second is Asian, 5ft ’7ins, of slim build and wearing a dark long sleeved top with a white pattern.
The third is white, 5ft ’7ins with a slim build.
There are no descriptions of the other two suspects at this time.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Waltham Forest Violent Crime Unit on 020 8721 5025, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111
MOVE AWAY
33-year-old Carla Butcher, of neighbouring Sanderstead Road told the Waltham Forest Guardian she believes the area has deteriorated in the last few years and she fears for the safety of her three children.
“I’ve noticed it’s gone really downhill. You can’t even have your kids out,” she told the paper.
“I’ve seen people doing cocaine outside my house, I’ve seen needles, my fence has been burnt down and I’ve had people climbing into my garden.
“It’s just not safe.
“I’d go anywhere away from this area.”
ENFIELD TURKISH PROMISE
In May, Enfield’s two members of parliament pledged to stamp out London’s Turkish and Kurdish gang culture by lobbying for greater resources for both the police and community associations.
David Burrowes and Nick de Bois said the vast majority of Turkish and Kurdish people in London were working hard to earn a decent living, and it should “not be inevitable” that young people end up on the streets.
They were speaking at a meeting held in response to the headline story in this newspaper the previous week, in which community leaders called for action to eliminate the gang culture in London’s Turkish-speaking communities.
Londra Gazete started the campaign after Zafer Eren, originally from Kahramanmaraş in southern Turkey, was shot dead by masked attackers in Southgate.