Teenager killed in racist attack in northern England

LONDON - A teenager was beaten to death by a gang of men in a racist murder in northern England, British police said on Saturday.

The 18-year-old black man was attacked in a park in Huyton, near Liverpool, late on Friday by three or four men, just minutes after he had been taunted with racial abuse while waiting for a bus with his girlfriend and a male relative.

Police said they could not yet confirm whether the man had been killed with an axe, but believed that the murder weapon could have been a similar item.

"This was a totally unprovoked and racially motivated attack," a police spokesman said.

To escape the abuse, the group decided to walk through a nearby park, the spokesman said.

"Shortly before they reached the exit, three or four men jumped out of the bushes," he said.

The girlfriend and the relative, both 17, ran to get help. When they returned they found the victim slumped on the ground with serious injuries. He was taken to hospital where he died.

Forensic teams were searching the area and police were conducting house-to-house inquiries.

- REUTERS