A BARMAN known as “Sinders”, who survived the Admiral Duncan pub bombing to become a pivotal player in its disaster appeal, was killed in a homophobic rampage.

David Morley, 37, suffered 40 bruises, a ruptured spleen and fractured ribs when he was attacked by a gang of teenagers close to the Royal Festival Hall in London.

Scotland Yard said that the youths — two white boys, two white girls and two black boys — carried out three vicious attacks which are being treated as homophobic.

The disclosure that the murdered man had survived the bombing of the Soho pub which killed three and injured 73 in April 1999 brought revulsion to the capital’s homosexuals.

Richard Brett-Cairns, 30, a friend of Mr Morley, said yesterday: “I remember when I heard that the bomb had gone off at the Admiral Duncan. I thought ‘Oh my God, Sinders’, and now this. He was the life and soul of the party. He made a good night into a great night. There was never a sad face when Sinders was around.”

The pub bombing was the climax of a 14-day London terror campaign by David Copeland who injured 139 in blasts targeting blacks in Brixton, Asians in Brick Lane and gays in Soho.

As the sun set over Waterloo Bridge last night, a rainbow flag fluttered and flowers were left at the spot beside the South Bank of the Thames where Mr Morley was killed.

“Sinders, we’ll never forget you,” read one tribute. “David was a kind, gentle non-violent man”, another recalled. “Sinders — dearly loved, deeply missed,” said another.

Detective Chief Inspector Nick Scola said that Mr Morley had been chatting on a bench in the early morning for three hours with a former boyfriend when they were spoken to by the gang and then attacked.

The two men were kicked and punched to the ground and had items stolen from them. Mr Morley’s 29-year-old companion was injured but has been released from hospital.The gang then moved under a footbridge and attacked a group of French people including a woman.

Minutes later, in Jubilee Gardens near the London Eye, a gay man was struck on the head with what he believed was a bottle.

The assaults happened at around 3.15am on Saturday. Last night police were studying footage from closed circuit television cameras.

Mr Scola said: “In at least two of the three attacks, victims were gay. Whilst robbery was clearly a motive, until I can be satisfied the attacks were not homophobic, they will be treated as homophobic.”

Mr Morley, originally from the West Midlands, had lived in London for 16 years and became an important figure in the disaster appeal which raised £100,000.

Dominic Brant, the fund’s coordinator, described the barman as a “larger-than-life figure” whose nickname fitted his friendly, outgoing personality. “I think it was like: ‘Cinderella, you will go to the ball’,” Mr Brant said. “He had a very dry sense of humour at times.”

Mr Brant added: “He would say ‘Don’t worry about me, worry about people who need help more than me’. You would forget he was one of the victims himself. He was quite good at telling me when other people needed help, a very good point of reference.

Mr Morley later became the Admiral Duncan’s manager but suffered from panic attacks and began to feel physically sick in the pub. He moved to another pub in Earls Court last December when memories of the bombing became too overwhelming.

Tears flowed at the Admiral Duncan yesterday. Andy McHaffie, a former colleague, said: “He was big, jovial, loads of fun and hugely camp.”

Mr Morley once told a reporter how the blast had affected him. “I remember about a week after we reopened a group of Asian kids turned up at the door with a card of support from one of the families whose shop had been damaged in the Brick Lane bombing,” he said. “I stood there crying in front of them.”

Reports of attacks on gays cruising for sex on the South Bank have increased and police have recorded a 10 per cent rise in homophobic crimes in the past year.

The Criminal Justice Act 2003 provides increased sentences for assault motivated by hostility based on sexual orientation in England and Wales but the law has yet to come into force.

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