Five people have been charged over an attack on a teenage asylum seeker in south London, police say.
The Kurdish-Iranian victim was approached at a bus stop before being chased and subjected to a “brutal attack” by up to 30 people.
The student was left with a fractured skull and a blood clot on his brain after the assault in Croydon on Friday.
The five were charged with violent disorder while one was also charged with grievous bodily harm.
Three other people remain in police custody after being arrested over the weekend. They were held on suspicion of attempted murder and violent disorder.
All those arrested are aged between 17 and 24. The incident happened in Shrublands Avenue at 23:40 BST on Friday.
The police have described it as a racially motivated attack.
Det Supt Jane Corrigan said: “There was no reason for this attack and I believe because of the numbers involved people have just jumped on the back of it and it’s turned into a violent brawl where someone has been viciously beaten and is very lucky to have not lost his life.”
She said the student was making his way home from a friend’s house when he was set upon by a group. He was with two friends when the attack happened, police said.
“I haven’t seen a hate crime like this. This was pure hate and there was only one motivation and that was to cause serious damage,” she added.
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