The parents of a teenage murderer told how they begged the authorities for help to stop him becoming a killer.

Jordan Dixon, 18, from Selby Road, Carshalton, was jailed for life last month for his part in the Halloween murder of 30-year-old IT expert Ben Gardner.

Mr Gardner from Sutton was out with his girlfriend Allanna Devine, from Morden, to celebrate her birthday last year when he was attacked by Dixon, Daniel Ransom, 21, and Ross Collender, 21, at 3am on November 1, 2009.

CCTV footage showed Mr Gardner being kicked and punched by Dixon, Ransom, and Collender and within hours he had died from a catastrophic brain injury.

Dixon’s parent’s, Cliston and Margaret, both 47, said their son – who had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder, and an IQ equivalent to that of a seven-year-old – was out of control from a young age and they had pleaded for help from police and social services. Dixon was expelled from two schools before the age of 12 and was convicted for spitting at one of his teachers.

The Dixons said many of their son’s 13 previous convictions were for offences against them, after they had been advised by social services to report incidents to the police to help Jordan understand the seriousness of his actions.

Mrs Dixon, an accounts clerk, said: “We were trying to help him but it all backfired when they were read out in court.”

Mr Dixon, a plasterer, said on two occasions he had called social services and told them “if you don’t come I will kill him”, but was told there was nothing they could do.

On the night Ben Gardner was murdered, Dixon called Mr Gardner’s girlfriend a “whore” and told her “I hope you die of cancer”,but Mr Dixon said it was the sort of thing he would say to his own mum when they argued.

Mrs Dixon said: “They were just words to him. He would say ‘I hope you have a car crash and die’. He would blurt things out, but they weren’t thought through.”

Mr and Mrs Dixon said they even took the local education authority to court to force it to find their son an appropriate school but, despite a ruling from the judge, Dixon reached the age of 16 before it ever got sorted.

Mr Dixon said: “As parents we have done everything we could. If social services had done their thing maybe he wouldn’t be in this situation.

“Now they are chucking away the keys and when he is 32 he will come out the same.

“By me talking now, maybe there is another kid who is four or five and in a similar situation and someone might read this and catch the problem before something like this happens.”

Mr and Mrs Dixon said they felt tremendous sorrow for the family that had lost their son, but intended to appeal the length of Dixon’s 14 year minimum sentence and fight to ensure he is given the proper care in prison.

Mr Dixon said: “We are totally devastated for [Ben Gardner’s parents] and feel so sorry for them. I am a father and would feel the same if it was my son.

“My son should have been punished but it should have been manslaughter and he should not have been given so long in prison.”

Mrs Dixon said: “He punched one man once and now he is serving life.”

A Sutton Council spokesman said: “Over the years the authorities offered Jordan Dixon help including specialist training, psychological assistance and housing but he failed to take advantage of them.”

Dixon was arrested after police launched an appeal via the Sutton Guardian to find the third man wanted for the murder of Ben Gardner.

Detective Inspector Bob Campany, who led the investigation, wrote an open letter condemning anyone hiding the killer behind a wall of silence.

The 18-year-old had been hiding in a friend’s flat in Throwley Way, for two months.

A tip-off from the public led to police pulling over a blue BMW, containing Dixon, in Colliers Wood High Street on January 9.

He was found to be in possession of a lock knife and was charged with Mr Gardner’s murder two days later.

A fundraising night is being held this weekend dedicated to the memory of Ben Gardner.

O’Neills, in Sutton High Street, will host the event, which will feature music and a night of stand-up comedy.

The night, organised by the Gardner family, will mark the first anniversary of Mr Gardner’s death.

He was killed on November 1 last year and the three men involved are serving 46 years in prison between them.

The comedy night starts at 6.30pm on Sunday, November 7, with the show expected to go until about midnight.

Entry will be ticket-only and they will be sold by pub manager Tim at O’Neills in Sutton High Street.

All money raised will go to St Raphael’s Hospice, on London Road, North Cheam.