The family of a teenager murdered by a gang of youths held a service celebrating his life on the 10th anniversary of his killing.

Christopher Donovan was just 18 years old when he was beaten unconscious and left lying in the path of oncoming traffic in Ewell.

A gang of youths took it in turns to kick his head and body during the brutal attack in May 2001.

Three youths were convicted of his murder in May 2002. Following the convictions his parents, Ray and Vi Donovan, were forced to move to Sutton because of a graffiti campaign in support of one of the killers.

Despite their anguish they have forgiven his killers, and to mark a decade since his death, a service was held on Saturday to celebrate his life.

Mr and Mrs Donovan, who are Christians, now devote much of their time to visiting schools and prisons to talk about gang violence and forgiveness, through their organisation, Forgiveness Ministries.

They are also involved with the Sycamore Tree programme, which teaches victim awareness to prisoners.

Mr Donovan, 59, used the event to talk about the work his organisation does, and invited other groups to speak.

They included Word 4 Weapons, an organisation that organises gun and knife amnesties, and Why Me?, a group that arranges for victims and their families to meet the criminals who committed offences against them.

Mr Donovan also gave a moving eulogy for his son’s life to scores of family and friends.

He described the teenager, who had applied to become a policeman, and dreamed of joining the Army, as “a wonderful person.”

He said: “The service was emotional, but after we had cried, we just got on with it and had a fun day, which is what Chris would have wanted.”

The event, held at Stoneleigh Baptist Church in Epsom, was attended by more than 150 people.

The £400 raised through a collection will be split between charity Help for Heroes, and Forgiveness Ministries.