A GANG of Tamils attacked a group of rivals with poles, bats and axes in Wembley for straying on to their turf, a trial at the Old Bailey heard.

Members of the DMX gang armed themselves with an array of weapons from a nearby cab office after spotting members of the Harrow Gang in Lancelot Road on August 7 last year.

Following a stand-off in the street which was captured on CCTV, violence erupted among the two gangs which left 27-year-old Vakeesan Paramalingam with cuts and bruises on his head, and multiple fractures to his jaw and face.

A jury heard yesterday how DMX member Arulmurugan Sepamalai, 22, repeatedly hit Mr Paramalingam across the head with a cricket bat, after cornering him by a wall.

Prosecution say the vicious assault only stopped after fellow gang members pulled Mr Sepamalai away from his prone victim.

The court heard Harrow Gang members, including Mr Paramalingam and his older brother Pratheepan, 30, were due to have dinner at Palm Beach, a Sri Lankan restaurant in Ealing Road, and had stopped at a cashpoint on the corner of Lancelot Road when they were spotted by the rival DMX gang.

Prosecutor Roger Smart said: “Members of the DMX gang saw members of the Harrow Gang on their turf in Lancelot Road and a fight ensued, during which metal poles, kitchen knives, pickaxes, cricket bats and pickaxe handles were used to cause serious injury to members of both gangs.”

Following an initial argument, CCTV footage shown in court shows the DMX group swelled as men poured out from an alleyway at the side of the nearby City Radio cab office, on the corner of Lancelot Road.

Mr Smart said defendant Kandiah Tharmarajah, 48, collected an assortment of weapons from the office, and claimed he was the man seen by a witness handing out weapons to “prepare them for the fight”.

Mr Tharmarajah's nephew, Ajithkumar – known as AJ – was seen wielding an axe during the ensuing melee, the court heard, and CCTV footage captured Mr Sepamalai beating Keesan Paramalingam at least six times across the head.

Mr Smart is alleging the ferocity of Mr Sepamalai's attack was so great that his only intention would have been to kill.

He added that Keesan Paramalingam – also a defendant in the trial - was “far from an innocent party” in the brawl, and is alleged to have armed himself with a three-foot pole which he used to hit Mr Sepamalai.

When police arrived, they quickly arrested Mathusoothan Satchithananthan, 28, who was spotted by officers discarding a knife under a parked van.

He later told police he took the knife off an Asian man to disarm him before throwing it away, shortly before he was arrested.

Mr Smart told the juror during his opening speech: “We expect them to say they were acting in self-defence or in defence of another.”

The trial continues.

The full charges in the trial are:

- Arulmurugan Sepamalai, 22, of Chapman Crescent, Kenton, denies attempted murder, an alternative of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, violent disorder, and possession of an offensive weapon, namely a cricket bat.

- Ajithkumar Tharmarajah, 26, of Chapman Crescent, Kenton, denies violent disorder and possession of an offensive weapon, namely an axe.

- Kandiah Tharmarajah, 48, of Chapman Crescent, Kenton, denies violent disorder.

- Iynkaran Tharmarlingham, 24, of Sudbury Heights Avenue, Greenford, denies violent disorder and possession of an offensive weapon, namely a metal pole.

All of the above are said to be part of the DMX gang.

- Mathusoothan Satchithananthan, 28, of Maryatt Avenue, Rayners Lane, denies violent disorder and having an article with a blade or point, namely a knife.

- Pratheepan Paramalingam, 30, of Haldane Close, Enfield, denies violent disorder and possession of an offensive weapon, namely a bottle.

- Vakeesan Paramalingham, 27, from Surrey, denies possession of an offensive weapon, namely an axe, and violent disorder.