Lawyers engage with LGBT community to answer concerns over Morley case

Senior lawyer/managers met members of London's LGBT community to address their concerns over the case of David Morley, brutally killed by "happy-slappers".

Their explanations of CPS London's handling of the case and the Service's policy on homophobic crime allayed criticism at a meeting of Brixton's LGBT Forum.

Operations Director Lesley Burton, DCPs Jaswant Narwal and Sue Jacobs and others attended the meeting just days after four people were jailed for a total of 44 years for the mansalughter of the gay barman, left.

Mr Morley was on the South Bank when he was assaulted by the gang, who went on to attack three other innocent victims, filming one incident on a mobile phone (below).

An Old Bailey jury convicted Chelsea O'Mahoney, 15, Reece Sargeant, 21, Darren Case, 18, and David Blenman, 17, of manslaughter last December.

At the meeting in January, Jaswant, DCP, Central Criminal Court Prosecution Service, explained why CPS London decided to charge the defendants with murder and why the jury were allowed to consider manslaughter as an alternative.

She also discussed why neither the prosecution team nor the trial judge felt that Mr Morley's death was a homophobic crime.

The CPS representatives were also asked about Jody Dobrowski, the gay man beaten to death on Clapham Common, South London. Two men have been charged with murder.

Sue, DCP, South Central London Prosecution Service, South Sector, said she felt she had a responsibility to feed back information on such cases to the LGBT community.

Lambeth Police LGBT liaison officer Graham Alldus added: "Everyone I spoke with after the meeting felt that the complex and often unfathomable issues had been thoroughly and honestly addressed.

"I think the event showed strong support for the LGBT communities affected."