Three men have been found guilty for the second time of the murder of alcoholic Ted Shaxted at his Northfleet home.

Kelvin Horlock, 32, Bill Saunders, 30 and Trevor Lees, 38, all denied the murder and manslaughter of 36-year-old Mr Shaxted.

But a jury of nine men and three women found them each guilty of murder on a 10-2 majority after more than four days' deliberation.

They have not yet reached a verdict on a fourth man, 35-year-old Marvin Service, and will continue with their discussions tomorrow Tuesday.

Horlock, Saunders and Lees are also expected to be sentenced tomorrow.

At the start of the trial in April the jury was told this was a retrial, the original convictions for murder having been quashed by the Court of Appeal on the grounds that they were unsafe.

During six weeks of evidence they heard how Mr Shaxted died 12 days after he was given a "sustained and ferocious beating" at his flat in Wallis Park on December 2 2007.

Mr Shaxted suffered multiple injuries in the attack, which was organised by Horlock and carried out by Saunders, Lees and allegedly Service.

Maidstone Crown Court was told Mr Shaxted was beaten after he took and crashed a car belonging to Horlock's mother while her dog was in it.

His injuries included fractures to 11 of his 12 ribs on the right side of his body. In hospital he told police he had been attacked by three men but refused to support a prosecution.

Horlock, of Hatfield Road, Strood, Saunders of Denton Caravan Site, Shamrock Road, Gravesend, and Lees, of London Road, Northfleet, also denied an alternative charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

Horlock and Saunders also pleaded not guilty to causing grievous bodily harm. Lees, however, admitted this charge.

Service, of Brandon Street, Gravesend, denies all four offences.

The men were orginally convicted in February 2009 and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Before taking today's verdicts Judge Jeremy Carey warned he would halt proceedings and clear the public gallery if there were any disturbances.

There was no reaction from the defendants.

Service, who has won power-lifting competitions, and Saunders both gave evidence during the retrial, while Horlock and Lees did not go into the witness box.

Service, whose palm print was found in Mr Shaxted's bathroom, said he only went to the flat on behalf of Horlock to check on the victim and denied attacking him.

However, he admitted during his evidence that he lied "over and over again" to the police for two days until he was confronted with the palm print evidence.

Service's defence counsel told the jury that Mr Shaxted never described one of his three attackers as being black.

Saunders admitted going to Mr Shaxted's home with Lees and another man he would not identify. He claimed Lees punched Mr Shaxted "a couple or three times".

Saunders denied any involvement in the attack and claimed he had gone to the flat with Lees on the understanding Lees was collecting money.

During the trial the court was told by Lees defence that Mr Shaxted would probably not have died had he not been given penicillin in hospital when he was allergic to the drug.

The prosecution, however, said this was "a complete red herring".