MAN ‘KILLED BY BLACKBERRY THIEVES’

The Press Association
April 7 2010
UK

A south London man died after being targeted for his BlackBerry phone,
the Old Bailey has heard.

Saravanakumar Sellappan, 24, was talking on the hi-tech mobile when
he was spotted by three robbers. He was only yards from his home when
he was struck on the head and fell to the ground before the BlackBerry
was stolen, said Aftab Jafferjee QC, prosecuting.

Mr Sellappan was taken to hospital by friends but fell into a coma
and died the next day, said Mr Jafferjee. He said Mr Sellappan was
walking home from work at a petrol station in October last year when
he rang a friend – a 20-minute call during which he was attacked.

The men had seen him in London Road, Thornton Heath, south London,
and followed him into residential Langdale Road, where they struck.

Mr Jafferjee added: "It was while he was on his BlackBerry that he was
spotted. It was a long call and that is what has been his misfortune –
it attracted those who were tracking him." Mr Sellappan suffered a
brain injury and fell into a coma within hours.

Armenian Roshan Samedov, 18, and Iranians Jegir Ahmmadi, 20, and Awat
Muradi, 18, all from Thornton Heath, deny murder and robbery.

Mr Jafferjee alleged that the defendants blamed each other when
arrested. He said they had been seen on CCTV following the victim and
inquiries about selling the BlackBerry had been made at a local shop.

Mr Jafferjee said Mr Sellappan complained to friends that his head hurt
but did not want the police to get involved because he might miss work.

A friend took him to the Mayday Hospital in Croydon but he was sent
home after telling a doctor he fell downstairs. Mr Jafferjee said he
was given a "plainly cursory" four-and-a-half-minute examination.

Mr Jafferjee said: "He was given a leaflet about head injuries.

Because the hospital had run out of leaflets for adults, he was given
a child’s leaflet. The doctor simply told him just to go home and
look after himself. He started to cry because he was obviously in
pain and nothing was being done."