A homeless man will this afternoon be sentenced after he admitted beating his drinking buddy to death in the porch of a village church.

Ruslan Piktorov delivered more than 70 stamps, kicks and punches during the unprovoked hour-long attack on homeless Trevor Hillman, the majority of which came after the victim had become motionless.

He also sat on his legs and smoked during the assault at St Peter and St Paul church, in Headcorn, and was seen searching 57-year-old Mr Hillman's body.

The 40-year-old Lithuanian was arrested on the evening of Wednesday, October 22, in Holborn, London, after Mr Hillman's body was discovered by a member of the public earlier that day.

At a preliminary hearing in January he admitted causing the death of the 57-year-old plasterer but denied murder, before dramatically changing his plea yesterday.

The defendant met Mr Hillman, a plasterer who slept rough in the village, on the afternoon of the attack.

Over the course of the evening Piktorov shared food and drink with Mr Hillman and was seen kissing and cuddling him.

He also made more than a dozen attempts to take money from the victim's account on three separate occasions.

During the prolonged assault the defendant realised there was a camera in the porch, which he smashed before continuing to stamp and kick the victim.

The following morning he caught a train to London where he approached officers and said he "may have killed someone.

During a hearing this morning to establish whether Piktorov killed Mr Hillman to make financial gain Christopher Tehrani QC, prosecuting, said: "This was a unprovoked, sustained and savage attack."

He told Piktorov, who gave evidence at the hearing, that his actions showed he had murderous intent, to which the defendant replied, "it's possible."

Judge Jeremy Carey will sentence Piktorov this afternoon.

Judge Carey said that if the defendant was seeking financial gain the minimum starting point would be 30 years.

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