A MURDER victim’s sister says her family was “crushed” after her brother was killed by a failed asylum seeker.

David Cooper, 28, was battered to death in his flat in Calderwood Street, Woolwich, by Mossab Belhocine on November 19 last year.

An eight-day Old Bailey trial heard how the pair met in Soho and went back to Woolwich when Belhocine, also known as Adam Saidi, said he had nowhere to stay.

The killer, who was in tears throughout his sentencing yesterday, said he punched and kicked Mr Cooper, who was gay, to escape being raped by him.

But Belhocine was found guilty of murdering the sales assistant.

The court was told how the 19-year-old Algerian, from Walthamstow, ransacked the flat while Mr Cooper lay dying on the floor.

And the attack had been so brutal that Mr Cooper’s blood had sprayed on to the ceiling and an imprint of the killer’s trainers was left on his face.

Belhocine stole a silver bracelet, DVD player, computer console, television, laptop and Oyster card before leaving the flat.

Police traced the killer on Mr Cooper's Oyster card and arrested him shortly afterwards.

News Shopper: Mr Cooper died after being "viciously assaulted" Mr Cooper’s 23-year-old sister Tracy said in an impact statement: “There’s no other person who we know who lived life to the full to the extent that David did.”

She said her brother “took pleasure out of making people happy” and “always saw the good in everyone”.

And she revealed the music lover, who lived alone with his three cats, dreamed of becoming a fashion designer and opening up his own ladies’ boutique.

Ms Cooper said: “As for my mum, well, she’s lost everything. David was her life.

“Her world has been crushed.”

She added: “My family is a broken family. The person who held us together is not here anymore.

“We’re the ones who suffer every single day. We’re the ones who have been sentenced.”

Sentencing Belhocine, Judge Stephen Kramer said it had been “a lethal and ferocious attack”.

Belhocine, part of a network of Algerian pickpockets, was sentenced to a minimum of 24 years in jail for murder and 10 years for robbery, to run concurrently.

Another charge of robbery will lie on file and he will be immediately eligible for deportation.

Friends and family of the dead man, wearing Mr Cooper’s favourite colour red, watched the proceedings and afterwards gathered outside court to hold up pictures of him.

Detective Inspector Paul Barran said afterwards: "Belhocine was a predatory thief who would go out under cover of darkness and target vulnerable people.

“He had a propensity to use violence whilst committing his crimes, particularly if the victim became aware of what was going on.”

Mr Barran said the Algerian had made an application for asylum, giving a false name and age last March, but the application had been rejected.