David Morley had survived the 1999 Soho nail bomb attack

Alastair Whiteside said he and his friend David Morley were battered in an unprovoked attack by a gang on the South Bank of the Thames in London.

Mr Morley, 37, from Chiswick, west London, died after the alleged attack.

Barry Lee, 20, Reece Sargeant, 21, Darren Case, 18, two 17-year-old boys and a girl, aged 15, all deny murder.

A girl ran up and kicked his head like a football Alastair Whiteside

Mr Whiteside described meeting Mr Morley, a survivor of the Soho nail bombing, at Hungerford Bridge on 29 October 2004.

He told the Old Bailey they had been sitting on a bench, eating and drinking cider for some hours when he noticed a group coming along.

"They gave a brief acknowledgement. There were about five. I did not really look at them," he said.

"The next thing I knew I was either being kicked or punched very hard in the side of the face."

Only three of the defendants can be identified for legal reasons

Mr Whitehead described lying on the pavement and putting his hands around his head while he was kicked and punched in the ribs and head.

He told the court one of his assailants "seemed to be getting enjoyment" out of it and was smiling or laughing.

He described looking over to see Mr Morley sat against hoardings near the bench.

"A girl ran up and kicked his head like a football. There was only the girl when I saw him. She went over to David. She pulled her foot back and was kicking him like a football very hard to the head two or three times."

The court has been told that Mr Morley was one victim of a series of attacks carried out around Waterloo and Hungerford Bridges, in the early hours of 30 October 2004.

The six youths, three of whom cannot be named for legal reasons, all from Kennington, south London, deny murder, conspiracy to rob and conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm.