An emotional appeal for help in tracking down the brutal killers of a hard-working Sri Lankan man has been made by the girlfriend he left behind.

Kanthie Rathanapala, who worships at a church in Croydon, spoke this week about the shock of hearing of her boyfriend's murder and her desire for justice.

Sellathurai Balasingham, a Sri Lankan Tamil, was bludgeoned to death on November 6 last week on the housing estate in Norbury where he lived.

The attack happened after he had driven his P-registration Honda Civic car into Huntingdon Close at around 11pm.

He was chased by at least three men onto a ramp beside one of the houses, in a road between Kent Close and Huntingdon Close, and beaten repeatedly over his head with blunt instruments. He was pronounced dead an hour later.

Kanthie, 43, said she was not surprised when her boyfriend of six years - whom she calls Bala - did not return home that night from his job as a production manager, in South Wimbledon.

Since starting work as a packer at the Sunshine Service Group 13 years ago - where the couple first met - he had risen up the career ladder and often worked into the early hours.

She only became anxious the next morning, and had just called the company when the police arrived to say he had been murdered.

"I was crying, with my little girl, I was so shocked to find out," she said, "The attack was so vicious, the men who did this must have been extremely angry with Bala."

Kanthie said Bala had been a workaholic with no hobbies or much of a social life. But he had been good to her six-year-old daughter, Sithara, who called him Daddy.

She added: "My daughter keeps asking where Daddy is. She got up at 5.30am this morning and just cried and cried. "Please let us know who did this. Anyone who saw this, contact police."

DI Reg Field, leading the murder hunt, said the Sri Lankan man's injuries were the worst he had ever seen.

Police are looking for at least three dark-skinned or light-tanned men, possibly Sri Lankan Tamils, in their early 30s, of slim build and between 5ft 6in and 5ft 10in.

He said: "It's possible that not all of them wanted to go that far. If one of them knows he didn't want to, he should call us before he is listed as a murderer."

Kanthie, who has no family in Britain, has been comforted by friends and work-mates.

Call the Serious Crime Group incident room on 020 8247 4567 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

November 16, 2001 17:00