Met Police launch investigation after teen found near Gallions Reach DLR station with 'suspicious' head injuries

Police probe: An officer at the scene where a 16-year-old was found dead
UKNIP
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Detectives are investigating the death of a teenage boy whose beaten body was found on scrubland near a Docklands railway station.

Commuters made the grim discovery in Atlantis Avenue outside Gallions Reach DLR station shortly after 8.30am yesterday.

The Met’s Specialist Crime Command are treating the death as suspicious because of the teenager’s head injuries.

His next of kin have been informed and a post-mortem examination will be held in due course.

A cleaner at the station, Emiliano Cordona, 61, said: “We are all shocked by this. The trains had to be suspended while the police investigated.

“We have no idea how the body got there. It’s next to a busy road. We don’t know if the poor boy was dumped there. It’s just horrible.”

A DLR railway worker said: “The police taped off the whole area and there were loads of them here.

“Commuters on their way to work saw it, a lot of people were upset. My thoughts go to the boy’s family.”

The area in Beckton is at the centre of major redevelopment with hundreds of new homes being built.

A concierge at the nearby Gallions Point apartment block told the Standard: “At around 10am I heard wailing, and crying. I saw a woman in tears and a man who was in tears, I think it was relatives. They were walking around on the phone outside and they looked completely broken.”

CCTV footage from the block shows a black car pull up outside the concierge desk about 1.40am yesterday, before driving off at approximately 3am.

The concierge added: “It’s not normal for any car just to come and park there at this time in the morning — whoever was working was doing a walk around the building at the time.”

A neighbour said of the victim: “There was no reason for him to have been on that bit of land at that time of night.”

Part of the A1020 was closed off until yesterday evening as forensic officers searched for evidence. Scotland Yard said a formal identification had not yet been carried out but they believe they know the identity of the deceased.

A spokesman said: “Detectives are investigating following the discovery of a body in Newham. The male — believed to be a 16-year-old boy — was pronounced dead at the scene. He is thought to have suffered a head injury. The death is being treated as suspicious.

“The Specialist Crime Command have been informed and are being supported by colleagues from the North East Command Unit. Officers remain at the scene and enquiries continue.”

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in