An armed gang raided a mobile home in the middle of the night and repeatedly stabbed a father in front of his children after demanding cash, a court heard.

Four men smashed their way into Tom Fellowes and Chloe Smith’s Yalding home while armed with a handgun, a knife and a wrench.

Mr Fellowes grabbed a machete and tried to fight back but the blade broke when he struck the wrench with it.

The victim was left lying naked on the floor covered in blood from multiple wounds to his head and body, a jury was told.

The raiders fled from the scene at the Paddocks in Benover Road with “a few hundred pounds” and two Rolex watches.

Maidstone Crown Court was told the background involved bad feeling between the victim’s family and Amy Wallace, whose ex-boyfriend was jailed for a burglary at the home of Mr Fellowes’ sister.

Afterwards, there were a number of threatening phone calls to the victim by an ex of hers, other of Wallace’s ex-partners, Marlon Manning.

Prosecutor Ian Hope said the precise motivation for what happened may not matter that much, as there was more concern about what was done.

Mr Fellowes, a traveller who worked at the Paddocks, usually stayed at his partner’s home in Maidstone in the winter months and the day of the attack – March 16 last year – was the first night they had spent there for some time.

“That is one of the indications this was a planned venture based on information the family was at home that night,” said Mr Hope.

During the night, Mr Fellowes heard a noise and saw movement outside. He picked up the machete. The glass in the door then exploded inwards.

As he went through the hole left in the door, he was confronted by four masked men. He swung the machete at the 2ft long wrench being held by one of the attackers and the blade broke.

“He was then dragged back into his home and struck and stabbed repeatedly on his back,” said Mr Hope.

“One of the men produced a handgun and threatened to shoot his wife, who was screaming.

“He was strangled, stabbed, beaten and cut. There was a request to hand over money.

"A few hundred pounds kept in the home and two watches were handed over.”

As a diversionary tactic, Mr Fellowes claimed he kept his money at another address. Attempts were made to tie him up. The men discussed taking him to where the money might be.

Miss Smith, who was punched in the face, ran from the home and tried to attract the attention of neighbours at the remote location, but she was pulled back inside.

They finally left when something startled them. A neighbour heard a Mercedes car speed off at about 3.30am.

When police officers arrived, Miss Smith was holding a young child and Mr Fellowes was curled up naked and shivering in pools of blood.

He was taken to hospital and treated for multiple stab wounds. He told officers the attack was prompted by “inquiries” into a family burglary.

The jury of seven men and five women was shown photos of the many injuries to the victim’s head and heavily tattooed body. The home was extensively blood spattered.

Mr Hope said nobody came out of the background to the case “smelling of roses”.

Some things from the background, he said, were crystal clear. One was there had been threats “pregnant with violence in the background”.

“There was undoubtedly bad feeling that was going to the door of Mr Fellowes and was emanating in some way in the direction of Michael Manning and Amy Wallace,” he added.

Manning, 43, and Wallace, 30, are on trial with Robert Powell, 49, his son Kodee Powell, 24, Stephan Allen, 25, Jhabil Freeman, 41, and Asif Malik, 41.

Manning, of The Green, Bearsted, Kodee Powell, of no fixed address, Allen, of Rosebury Square, Chigwell, Essex, Robert Powell, of Cumberland Road, Grays, Essex, and Freeman, of Barry Road, East Dulwich, south East London, all deny conspiracy to rob.

Manning, Kodee Powell, Allen and Freeman deny having an imitation firearm with intent and causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

Wallace, of Lancashire Road, Maidstone, Robert Powell, Wallace, of Lancashire Road, Maidstone, and Malik, of Bluebell Way, Ilford, Essex, deny encouraging or assisting the commission of an offence.

Manning also denies possessing ammunition on July 19 when previously convicted of a crime and with Allen of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

The trial continues.