An Asian teenager was beaten to death in a park in West Yorkshire after pitched battles between rival gangs of youths.

The severely battered body of Amar Aslam, 17, was found in a walled wildlife garden in Crow Nest Park, Dewsbury, at 7.30pm on Sunday. His death was feared to have been the culmination of a series of fights between youths in the park over the weekend.

It remains unclear whether the boy was in a gang and killed by a rival group or was an innocent bystander targeted by youths who beat him and left him for dead. While police are keeping an open mind about the motive, it was not thought to be racial.

Three local males, two aged 15 and one aged 20, were arrested in connection with the killing yesterday.

Amar’s death is the latest crime in a violent Bank Holiday weekend that left Robert Knox, 18, a Harry Potter film actor, dead from stab wounds in Sidcup, southeast London. Last night Karl Bishop, 21, from Sidcup, was charged with Mr Knox’s murder. He is due to appear at Bexley Magistrates’ Court this morning.

Also at the weekend two black teenagers were wounded after shootings in Camden and Archway, North London. A 19-year-old man was in a critical condition in hospital after being found stabbed outside East Ham Underground station on Sunday night, and a second man, also aged 19, was arrested after he was found near by with head injuries.

Two youths suffered knife wounds after gangs clashed outside a Nando’s restaurant in Nottingham on Sunday evening, and on Friday night James Graham, 29, was beaten to death in Hendon, northwest London.

In Dewsbury, businessmen and a family friend of the victim expressed concern about the “intimidating” gangs of youths meeting at the park, which is between a number of housing estates including Dewsbury Moor, the run-down estate where the schoolgirl Shannon Matthews lived. Detective Superintendent Chris Thompson said that he was “very confident” that there were a large number of young people who had seen the attack.

Amar suffered such a “sustained and brutal” assault that it was not clear initially what caused his death. His body was discovered by two people walking in the park.

A source close to the victim’s family said that the Bank Holiday had been marred by violence between gangs. The man, who did not wish to be named, said: “There was fighting between a white gang and a non-white gang. There is a belief that there may be a link between that and the killing. His family are absolutely distraught.”

Ibrar Ali, a neighbour, said last night that the teenager, who is believed to have attended Birkdale High School, had been saving up to visit family members in Pakistan. His father and brother are currently in the country. Mr Ali added: “Amar was a quiet lad. He was certainly never any bother, he was quiet and often alone.”

Mr Thompson said that the good weather had attracted crowds of young people to the park. “It is very important that they come forward to establish the events leading up to this incident,” he said.

The park was sealed off by police while they conducted a fingertip search of the area. A post-mortem examination revealed that Amar died from severe head injuries.

Kanuroy Patel, the owner of nearby Roy’s Minimarket, said: “There are often gangs of young people hanging around the park. It is really intimidating. It is terrifying when this happens in your area.”

Bilal Sadiq, 18, added: “There has been two Iraqi men and one Asian man terrorising and lashing out at people in the park during the day.”

Shahid Malik, the Dewsbury MP, who lives a short distance from the murder scene, said that he was shocked by the killing, but called for calm. “It is crucial that people put their faith in the police, stay cool and not jump to any conclusions,” he said.

Amar had been wearing white tracksuit bottoms, black trainers, and a “Bench” top. The walled garden where his body was found had been transformed recently into a wildlife garden with seating, mosaics, plants and shrubs. It is surrounded by terrace houses and former textile mills. A short distance away is Dewsbury Moor housing estate, home mainly to white people. A few miles away is Savile Town, a predominantly Asian estate.

This latest death comes six months after Ahmed Hassan, 17, a Heckmondwike Grammar School pupil studying for four A levels, died at the town’s railway station from a single stab wound. Two teenagers are due to stand trial at Leeds Crown Court, West Yorkshire, next month, charged with his murder.

Dewsbury was also the home of Mohammad Sidique Khan, the suicide bomber who led the attacks on London in July 2005.

Racial tensions in the town have been exploited by the British National Party, which received its highest vote there in the 2005 general election.

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