Man stamped to death 'for a phone'

A man found dead in a park may have been murdered for his mobile phone, police said today.

Seph Lawrance, 22, was punched, kicked and stamped to death only yards from his home in Crawley. When police checked his pockets, the only item missing was his mobile.

Mr Lawrance, who worked in a Costa Coffee bar at Gatwick Airport, was attacked as he walked along a normally busy footpath to a friend's house.

Sussex Police said the theft of his mobile phone may have been the motive, although they are investigating several lines of inquiry.

Mr Lawrance, who was attacked in Goffs Park in Gossops Green on Friday evening, died from severe head injuries. Paramedics tried to resuscitate him but he was pronounced dead later in hospital-Friends and family have been shattered by his murder. His mother and father, who live in the Crawley area, are said to be distraught.

Mr Lawrance lived in a council flat in West Green with a friend who is away in Australia. One of their neighbours said: "Seph was always polite and thoughtful. He was always pleasant, always said hello."

Another local resident said her son was mugged for his mobile near the park in November. She said: "Seph always had a mobile to his ear and that's the worst thing you can do in Crawley. You are advertising the fact that you've got a phone and you're asking for trouble." More than 20 officersare working on the case. They believe the killer may be unaware that the vicious assault resulted in Mr Lawranc e ' s death and appealed to the attacker to give himself up.

A police spokeswoman said "Mr Lawrance's mobile is missing but it may have been lost. We have yet to establish what happened to it but we are not discounting it as a motive at the moment."

Gary Ware, Mr Lawrance's manager at Costa Coffee said: "We are all upset, He was a good fellow."

Detective Chief Inspector Adam Hibbert, leading the investigation, said: "We are treating this as murder. I want to hear from anyone who was walking in the park or maybe driving past on Friday night, and who saw anything, to contact us on 0845 60 70 999."