Youths begin sentences for manslaughter of Birdcage barman
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Four members of the gang, who were found guilty of the manslaughter of David Morley and conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm, have been sentenced to a total of 44 years in jail.
During the spate of attacks, which took place in the early hours of Saturday 30th October 2004, David Morley, former Chiswick resident and manager of The Birdcage pub, was subjected to violent assault which the gang filmed on their mobile phones.
At their Old Bailey trial, the court heard how Chelsea O'Mahoney, who was 14 at the time, "kicked his head like a football" after he had fallen unconscious.
According to the post mortem, Morley suffered more than 40 separate injuries, which the report said "were similar to those of someone who had fallen from a great height."
The gang was cleared of murder but found guilty of manslaughter, a verdict which enraged both Morley's family and the gay community.
Reece Sargeant aged 21, Darren Case aged 18 and David Blenman aged 17 (pictured above) were all sentenced to 12 years for the manslaughter and 6 years for the conspiracy to run concurrently. Chelsea O'Mahoney (pictured above far right) aged 15 was sentenced to 8 years for the manslaughter and 5 years for the conspiracy to run concurrently.
After sentencing, the judge lifted reporting restrictions which would normally not allow the identification of suspects below the age of 18.
January 30, 2006