An alcoholic and drug addict attacked a friend during one of their regular drinking sessions and then left him to die, a court heard.

Darren McKay called the emergency services the next day but claimed Lee Walden must have been “done over” by somebody else at his Ashford flat.

McKay - who downed six litres of cider a day and was addicted to hard drugs - later confessed to assaulting the 51-year-old victim.

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He was accused of murder but his guilty plea to manslaughter was accepted.

Today, he was jailed for 10 years under an extended sentence for public protection.

McKay will have to serve two thirds of the term before being considered for parole and he will be on licence for a further four years.

VIDEO: Forensics at the scene in May last year

Maidstone Crown Court the 39-year-old and Mr Walden were friends and at one point had a sexual relationship.

Prosecutor Martin Rutherford QC said McKay would go to his pal’s flat at Cherry Tree House in Bybrook Road, Kennington, daily and they would drink heavily.

The victim was in a relationship with Clive Bellinger. They planned to move to another flat together to make a fresh start.

Mr Rutherford said the relationship between McKay, of Beecholme Drive, Kennington, and Mr Walden was volatile with violence on both sides.

The assault happened after McKay went to his flat on May 16 last year. A neighbour saw him sitting outside at about 2.30pm. McKay said Mr Walden was still in bed and “being a miserable so and so”.

Just over an hour later, another neighbour saw both men outside. Mr Walden was slumped with his head hanging down. That was the last time he was seen alive.

Early the next morning McKay returned to the flat and called 999, reporting that his friend was “as cold as a block of ice”.

He said: “I think someone must have beat him up, or he has had a row with someone. The last time I saw him yesterday he was perfectly fine.”

That could not be true, said Mr Rutherford.

Paramedics noticed swelling on the side of Mr Walden’s face and a trail of blood from the living room to the bedroom.

"Having assaulted him, you left him covered in blood. You offered him no help. This was a culmination of a long history of violence between you" - Judge Adele Williams

He had liver disease and was vulnerable to head injury. He was found to have bleeding on the brain.

McKay at first said he might have “tapped” Mr Walden, but later admitted he “clouted” him twice while angry.

He claimed the victim was trying to hurt himself with a carving knife. McKay said he kicked him twice in the side of the head to get him to drop the knife.

“We have always had a relationship where it has been violent,” he told police. “We have always had a relationship when we drink and say things we don’t mean.

“He assaulted me. I could have overstepped the mark. I may have taken things to extremes at times.”

McKay, who took drugs including cocaine and amphetamine, said in an accepted basis of plea that he kicked Mr Walden twice and punched him twice.

Mr Rutherford said at 18 stone, McKay weighed twice as much as the victim.

Judge Adele Williams said it was a sustained assault with kicks and blows to the head.

“You left him,” she told McKay, who has previous convictions for violence. “You didn’t give him any assistance or call anyone else to give assistance.

“The pathologist concluded his injuries would have led to his death over a number of hours.

“Having assaulted him, you left him covered in blood. You offered him no help. This was a culmination of a long history of violence between you.

“Your alcohol and drug use were spiralling out of control. I come to the conclusion you pose a significant risk of causing serious harm to the public by the commission of further offences.

“It is necessary to impose an extended sentence.”

The judge said Mr Walden’s partner spoke movingly about his loss. He described him as “a gentle soul” who deserved better. He now faced life without him.

“Your actions have resulted in his death,” added Judge Williams.

After the sentencing, senior investigating officer Detective Inspector Richard Vickery of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: "McKay had a set of keys to Mr Walden’s flat and had significant control of Mr Walden's daily activity.

"He abused Mr Walden's friendship and was in simple terms a bully.

"This is a just conviction and the lengthy sentence will give McKay a significant period of time in custody to reflect upon this abusive relationship.

"My thoughts are with all those who have been adversely affected by this tragic case and in particular those closest to Mr Walden."