Steaming gang victim still not recovered

Damon Murphy was beaten so badly by the notorious Trocadero steaming gang that he needed reconstructive surgery to save his sight.

The attack lasted for only five or six seconds but the force of the blows shattered his cheekbone. He could not eat for two weeks and feared permanent damage.

Today, two years after his terrible ordeal, the 30-year-old's nightmare is still not over. He recalls the chilling echoes of laughter as blows rained down upon him from all sides. He was just one of the innocent victims targeted by the 15-strong gang as he made his way home after a night out in the West End.

Breaking down while giving evidence against the gang from behind a protective screen at Harrow Crown Court, he sobbed: "I am still not over it."

His attackers were jailed in June for a series of offences ranging from robbery to assault.