Immigrant on Benefits Jailed for Sadistic Clubbings

A sadistic killer who wielded a ‘caveman’s club’ is facing life behind bars for battering two pensioners to death and attacking five other strangers in a month of random violence.

Ali Koc, 30, beat his victims with lumps of wood, before head butting, punching and kicking them in a series of attacks in parks across north London.

He was found guilty today of the two murders and five other attacks on men who were either out jogging or dog walking.

Sadistic: Ali Koc, left, is facing a life sentence for battering Victor Parsons and another pensioner to death using lumps of wood. Koc also attacked five others during a month of random violence

Following the verdict police said they police said they feared Koc may have attacked others in his rampage of violence and appealed for any other victims to come forward.

The court had head that the Turkish killer stalked the parks and woodland near his home in Hornsey, north London wearing a pair of gloves emblazoned with a skull and cross bones logo.

Victor Parsons, 67, died seven weeks after he was battered by Koc with a branch shaped like a ‘caveman’s club’ in Alexandra Park.

Keith Needell, 84, died six months after being beaten by Koc in Queen’s Wood.

The judge Mr Justice David Calvert-Smith adjourned sentence until Friday morning.

Koc was born in Turkey but came to his country in his early teens and lived with his parents, while claiming benefits.

Their home in Hornsey was only minutes away from the parks where Koc viciously assaulted his victims.

He was well known to staff at his local Job Centre and had vented his frustrations towards them aggressively over the phone.

One of these calls to the Department of Work and Pensions was made only half an hour before the attack on Mr Parsons.

Victim: Victor Parsons in hospital seven weeks before he died as a result of being attacked by Ali Koc in a north London park with a branch shaped like a 'caveman's club'

He was known to police and had previously been jailed for possession of a knife in 2008, and burglary in 2007.

Koc had a long criminal record, which included ABH, common assault, theft and possession of cannabis.

As the verdicts were said his sister held her hand to her face, while his mother and brother stared blankly.

'There can be no doubt that Koc is a highly dangerous and predatory individual who derived some warped sense of gratification from carrying out these abhorrent attacks.'

Detectve Chief Inspector Tim Duffield

Koc remained emotionless throughout.

Brian Altman, QC, prosecuting, had described the random attacks as ‘violence for violence sake.’

He said: ‘Over the course of four weeks in January last year, men aged between 29 to 85 were violently and indiscriminately attacked in parks and woodland in north London.

‘Each man was beaten by a male assailant by head butting, punches, kicks and blows with heavy lumps of wood.

‘All of these attacks took place within 2.5km of this defendants address, in parks and woods that we say were very familiar to him.'

Mr Altman said none of the victims were robbed, or had items demanded from them, and there was no sexual motivation behind the attack.

Defenceless: Keith Needell, 84, who was attacked in north London on January 31 on his way home from researching his family tree and died six months later from his injuries

He said: ‘This was violence for violence sake, committed by the same man, in the same geographical area.'

The court had heard that Koc was identified on CCTV near the attacks wearing white Slazenger trainers.

The shoes were also found to have distinctive traces of blood and DNA from the victims on them.

He was also identified in ID parades by his victims who survived his frenzied attacks.

Mr Parsons he lived on his own and regularly walked to Alexandra Park.

Mr Altman said: ‘He was known locally as a bit of an eccentric, and was known to be a recluse.

‘On Wednesday mornings he was in the habit of walking from his flat to Alexandra Park and back.

‘It was this routine that was to cost him his life, as it was Wednesday the 5th of January that he left his flat to take his routine walk.

‘On his walk he was repeatedly struck over the head with a blunt object which was almost certainly a lump of wood.'

Mr Altman showed the jury the four foot branch recovered from the crime scene with Mr Parsons’ blood on it.

A police forensic scientist described the wood as ‘thin at one end and thicker at the other, similar to a cave man’s club’, the court heard.

Mr Parsons was carrying £750 in cash in his pocket, but not a penny was taken by his attacker, the court heard.

Mr Needell who was attacked on January 31 on his way home from researching his family tree at the Islington Family Records Centre.

He was spotted on CCTV at Highgate station as he heard towards Queen’s Wood some 200 metres away from where another man had been attacked by Koc three days earlier.

Mr Needell was discovered by dog walkers in the woods with severe facial fractures and a fractured skull.

The two pieces of bloodstained wood had once been part of the same branch which had snapped with the force of the impact.

He denied all of the attacks except one, which he claimed was self defence.Koc was arrested two days later on February 2.

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Tim Duffield, said: ‘We must not lose sight of the most important people in this case, the victims of Koc and the bereaved families of Victor Parsons and Keith Needell.

‘The dignity and courage they have shown has been most humbling. Koc has never shown any remorse for this wanton spate of attacks.

‘This was simply violence for violence sake, randomly-inflicted upon law abiding people who happened to be walking or jogging through their local parks.

‘There can be no doubt that Koc is a highly dangerous and predatory individual who derived some warped sense of gratification from carrying out these abhorrent attacks.'

Victor Parsons’s sister Rosemary, said: ‘He was a good brother who stood
by me when I needed him. He will be sadly missed.’

Keith Needell’s wife, Mary Needell said: ‘Keith is greatly missed by all his family, friends and those whose lives he touched and enriched.

'Such a kind and gentle man should never have suffered in such a brutal and senseless manner.

‘In 57 years of marriage he never once uttered a cross word. His aim in life was to help others and contribute towards a better life for all.'

Koc, of Hornsey, London, had denied two counts of murder, and five counts of attempting to cause GBH.