A man was chased by a gang wielding baseball bats, knives and golf clubs and beaten to death in the back of an ambulance as commuters watched. Passers-by saw up to 20 youths chase a 26-year-old man, thought to be of Eastern European origin, as he rushed out of an Underground station in North London.

The man got into an ambulance in Bounds Green, but his attackers forced their way in and continued their assault, ignoring a paramedic who tried to stop them. The man, who has not been named, died in hospital of serious head injuries at 10.30pm on Wednesday. Residents said yesterday that the murder was just the latest incident in a crime wave blighting the area. Witnesses said that at least one gang member was hit by a car as he tried to escape and another staggered off with head injuries.