A family were still trying to come to terms yesterday with the brutal murder of a British soldier in Austria at the weekend.

Corporal Derek Osborne was in Innsbruck to compete in the Army bobsleigh championships and had been celebrating on Saturday night after a couple of good runs as driver of a two-man team.

But just hours later, the 31-year-old was beaten to death outside a local disco by a gang of Turkish or Yugoslav youths, who knocked him to the floor and kicked him repeatedly in the head. Another Briton was left shaken and badly bruised.

Cpl Osborne - known as Ozzie - was from Cumbria but served with the King's Own Royal Border Regiment, stationed at Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire.

At home with the couple's three-month-old son yesterday, his wife, Amanda, was still too distraught to talk about the tragedy.

His brother, Roy, 32, said the whole family were finding it hard to cope: "Derek was a great soldier. He had been everywhere on duty, including Macedonia, Bosnia, Belize, and Northern Ireland for two and a half years.

"He was preparing to go to Cyprus for two years with his wife and son. It is devastating. You never think it will happen to your family."

Speaking of the attack, he said: "Derek's head was literally used as a football. There seems to have been no motive at all for what happened."

Commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Mike Griffiths said the regiment was stunned.

Arrangements for flying Cpl Osborne's body home were being made yesterday, and a service of mourning was held in Austria for Army personnel