Battersea murder: Two arrested over killing of former boxer Ian Tomlin who tackled drug dealers

Police refuse to comment on reports 46-year-old had confronted drug dealers operating in and around flats where he lived

Floral tributes and a sign near where Ian Tomlin was killed (PA)

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of murdering a father-of-two who was killed outside his home in south London.

Lorry driver Ian Tomlin was beaten to death in the lobby of flats in Charlotte Despard Avenue, Battersea.

Police have refused to comment on reports the 46-year-old one-time boxer had taken to confronting drug dealers operating in and around the block where he and his children lived.

The two suspects - both in their 40s - were detained while at different addresses in Wandsworth on Thursday night

Superintendent Peter Gardner, of the Met Police, said: "Firstly, I would like to offer my deepest sympathies to the family of Mr Tomlin’s family at this devastating time.

"Since the murder on Wednesday, officers from the homicide and major crime command have been working round the clock and have now made two arrests, which is positive news.

"We are aware of reports in the media regarding the circumstances of this murder. The investigation is still in its early stages and we are not in a position to be able to comment on speculation around exactly what happened and the possible motives at this time."

He added that extra patrols would be carried out around the estate.

Medics spent 45 minutes trying to save Mr Tomlin on Wednesday night after he was found slumped against the block’s lift but to no avail. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The killing was the 106th murder investigation launched in the capital in 2018. A neighbour who stumbled on the scene told the Evening Standard: “It was like a slaughterhouse.”

Mr Tomlin’s dad Cecil – who arrived in Britain from the Caribbean as part of the Windrush Generation in the Fifties – earlier told the newspaper his son was "a great father".

He said: “He was kind to everybody and spoke to everybody. He never had a problem with anyone and wouldn’t start fights.