Martial arts instructor, 46, dies after confronting teen moped gang as they tried to steal his bike outside London restaurant

A MARTIAL arts instructor who confronted a teenage moped gang as they tried to steal his bike has become the 52nd murder victim in London after dying in hospital.

The 46-year-old was left fighting for life after being savagely beaten outside a restaurant in Battersea, South West London, on Saturday at around 4.30pm.

But cops have launched a murder probe after he passed away from his injuries in hospital today.

A 16-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of GBH and released on bail until early June.

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The attack happened in the same road where Ian Tomlin, 46, was battered to death by drug dealers in October last year.

The moped was not stolen and is being forensically examined by cops.

Chief Superintendent Sally Benatar said: “My thoughts are with the victim, and his family and friends.

“I am also aware of the impact this murder has had on the local community, especially given the proximity to the scene of Ian Tomlin’s tragic murder in October last year.

“We appreciate the continued support and assistance of local residents with our ongoing work to reduce crime on the Doddington and Rollo estates. If you have information that could assist us with this investigation, please make contact as soon as you can.”

LAWLESS LONDON

The murder comes just one month after the Met announced a 52 per cent annual drop in scooter-enabled crime in the capital.

London saw 19,000 scooter attacks in 2017 – up from just 1,053 in 2014.

And in the same period last year there were 12,192 moped thefts across London compared to January 2018 to October 2018 when there were 8,261 offences – a reduction of 32 per cent.

But violent crime has continued to rise in the capital with 52 murders now taking place in London so far this year.

Three people have been stabbed to death in London since the start of May – including a 54-year-old man in Lewisham.

And 31 people have been stabbed to death in the capital since the start of 2019.

Knife crime has also continued to spiral out of control in Britain with at least 100 people stabbed to death in the UK so far this year.

The chilling figures reveal there has been one fatal stabbing every 1.45 days so far this year in England and Wales.

And knife crime rose by an average of 45.7 per cent in 34 English and Welsh counties between 2010 and 2018.

Anyone with information on the Battersea