Murder victim John Saunderson-Smith was a frequent visitor to gay clubs, detectives have discovered.
They want to speak to anyone who may have met Mr Saunderson-Smith at gay bars in the Old Brompton Road and Kennington area but they do not believe his brutal killing, which happened at his Dewhurst Road home in Brook Green last month, was a homophobic crime.
Detectives, who have discovered £150,000 worth of cash in plastic bags at Mr Saunderson-Smith's properties in Dewhurst Road and Sedlescombe Road, Fulham, are still struggling to build a clear picture of his 'complex and chaotic' lifestyle.
DI Howard Groves said: "At present, details regarding Mr Saunderson-Smith's life, and the events leading up to his death, remain sketchy. While local enquiries are ongoing, we are now extending our appeals to anyone who knew Mr Saunderson-Smith from his frequent visits to gay clubs in and around the Old Brompton Road and Kennington areas. This could be crucial in assisting us to build a complete picture about his life.
"I must stress that we are not treating this as a homophobic crime, however we are keeping an open mind as to the reasons behind his murder.
"We understand that Mr Saunderson-Smith had a number of people in his life though business and leisure interests, I am urging anyone who knew him to contact us."
Property developer Mr Saunderson-Smith is known to have owned properties in Wimbledon, Bournemouth and abroad. He was beaten to death in his home sometime between Thursday, October 20 and the following morning.
A post-mortem examination showed he was hit over the head up to nine times by a blunt instrument.
Anyone with any information is urged to contact the incident room on 020 8247 7821 Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
