James Ashley had already been convicted of killing a father-of-three at a pub in Eastbourne when identified as a target by police investigating drug trafficking and attempted murder.

At his trial, the painter and decorator from Liverpool denied the manslaughter of David Hitchmough, 41, outside the Bourne Inn in Pevensey Road, Eastbourne.

Mr Hitchmough died in hospital from a brain haemorrhage 24 hours after the incident.

Ashley, who also denied affray, was found guilty at Hove Crown Court in June 1993 and was sentenced to two years and four months in jail.

But, to the fury of Mr Hitchmough's family, he walked free from court when the judge directed he had served the equivalent of his sentence while on remand.

Ashley stayed out of trouble until 1997 when he was convicted of criminal damage after breaking windows at the Sherlock Holmes pub in Eastbourne, where he lived at the time.

It was towards the end of that year that detectives suspected him of being part of a gang of drug dealers, and of the stabbing of a man during a brawl in Eastbourne.

Officers who burst into his flat in St Leonards on January 15, 1998, were told they were dealing with a man who could be armed and dangerous.

Police who had dealt with Ashley in the past described him as a "cold and ruthless man".

But five months after his death an independent inquiry found "no evidence" that he was involved in the stabbing incident.

In fact it was reported that far from being responsible, he had tried to pull the offender from his victim.

At times, the public's opinion of Ashley also seemed to differ to that of the police.

A note left at the scene of Ashley's death read: "He was a gentleman of gentlemen and will be sadly missed by everyone who knew him."