A woman who witnessed a convicted child rapist being brutally beaten to death told police he "did not have a chance", a murder jury has heard.

Rosemary Ripley described seeing her friend Simon Brown hitting pensioner William Rowe in the living room at her home in Mercury Close, Rochester, in the early hours of September 4 last year.

The 34-year-old mum said the 71-year-old was bruised, bleeding and, she believed, not breathing, by the time she and Brown fled the property.

It was more than 27 hours before he was found by police, having been alerted by Brown's distraught mum in a 999 call on September 5.

Mr Rowe's lifeless and battered body was discovered sitting on a bloodstained carpet and propped up against a sofa. He was covered by a blanket and with his head and upper body tightly wrapped in a towel.

He had suffered a significant brain injury, fractures to his nose and eye area, lacerations and bruising.

Several rib fractures were inflicted on both sides of his body, a tooth had been knocked out and his neck subjected to blunt force trauma.

At Brown's trial this week, Ms Ripley repeatedly broke down in tears as she recalled the violence and how Mr Rowe had "bragged and boasted" about being a paedophile when confronted by the younger man.

Maidstone Crown Court was told that although the 28-year-old accepts he inflicted the "violent" injuries that led to the pensioner's death, he denies murder on the basis he did not intend to cause really serious harm or to kill him.

At the time of his arrest, Brown, of Snowdon Close, Chatham, told officers Mr Rowe had been sniggering and laughing when confronted with a KentOnline article reporting his conviction at the same court in 2012 for multiple child abuse offences.

The dad-of-two said when the pensioner told him it "wasn't the first time and probably wouldn't be the last time" that he raped someone, he (Brown) became "really upset", lost his temper and lashed out.

Ms Ripley was also in the room as the attack unfolded and was herself arrested on suspicion of murder before being released without charge.

Giving evidence, Ms Ripley told the jury that she had also heard her elderly friend, who she knew as Bill, utter the same boasts about sexually abusing more than one child.

During cross-examination by Brown's barrister David Hislop KC she said: "When Simon hit him, Bill continually said 'I have not just done it to one child, I've done it to a couple of children."

Ms Ripley agreed that the bragging started before he was struck, and that he was also sniggering and laughing, resulting in Brown commenting on the fact that he was a father and, as Mr Hislop described it, "exploding".

"When Bill said 'I have not just done it to one child but I've done it to a couple of children', that's when he (Brown) hit him." she added, saying he was "angry and upset".

Mr Hislop then asked: "Did you form the impression Bill was bragging about having raped those children?", to which she replied: "Yeah", and agreed that it seemed to "trigger" Brown.

She also confirmed that she had not expected Brown to react in that way and was herself shocked by what the pensioner was saying.

Having first met Mr Rowe in late 2022 after his release from prison, Ms Ripley said he had shown her the KentOnline article but blamed the abuse on his brother.

She also told the court he had a habit of walking around naked from the waist down and exposing his genitals, something she told him not to do.

Ms Ripley agreed, however, that that fateful night was the first time she had heard Mr Rowe bragging about his sexual past, and she confirmed he had made the remark about it "not being the first time and probably not the last".

When questioned about whether she had herself shown the KentOnline story to Brown, she recalled she had but not that evening.

Describing how violence flared, a visibly emotional Ms Ripley told the court Brown had gone to chuck a cup of tea over Mr Rowe as he sat on the sofa.

"Simon said to Bill something like 'You're a nonce' and then just started hitting him. Simon was standing up and Bill stood up," she recalled.

"Simon just kept on hitting him, like punching him. It was on his body, probably all over his body, his head.

"As Simon was hitting him, he (Bill) said 'I've interfered with younger children'. He didn't just say it once, he said it a couple of times."

Ms Ripley added that Brown had grabbed the pensioner by his top and asked him how many children he had raped.

"Simon hit him again and Bill fell on the floor and that's when he continually said not just one child but about six. Bill was saying how many children he had raped.

"Simon said 'I've got children. You're a nonce'. I think Simon hit him, but when you are boasting about how many kids you have actually touched, I think the anger started. Simon was angry."

Ms Ripley said Mr Rowe had fought back and asked his attacker to stop, but Brown "just kept on going".

She also told the jury several times that Brown was crying and very emotional after the assault and had "never intentionally" meant to kill Mr Rowe.

"When it finished, I see (sic) that Bill wasn't breathing and I said to Simon 'I think you've killed him'. It wasn't intentional that he killed him," she continued.

"I think we both panicked and he said 'What shall I do?" My body went through shock."

Ms Ripley added that Brown then gave the pensioner mouth-to-mouth, although this was disputed by his barrister, his eyes were open and blood was coming from his mouth.

"Simon just got very emotional. He cried 'I don't know what I've done.' It triggered him off that Bill could brag about what he had done."

Repeating Mr Rowe was not breathing, she said: "We were both emotional and upset but we both left. I didn't know what to say."

She agreed with Mr Hislop that Brown had wanted to call the emergency services but she had not wanted police to go to her home.

Read more on this trial

Dad on trial after child rapist who ‘bragged about crimes’ is killed

However, Ms Ripley denied she was the one who wrapped a towel around the pensioner or covered him with the blanket.

Earlier in the trial, prosecutor Julian Evans KC had told the jury of the account Ms Ripley gave to police following her arrest.

"She said Simon Brown began to hit and beat Mr Rowe, and Mr Rowe was not hitting back at Brown, " said Mr Evans.

"It happened, she said, quickly but it was a brutal attack. She said Simon Brown was quite big and Mr Rowe didn't have a chance."

CCTV footage played in court showed the movements of the pair after they left the house at about 4.30am and in the hours before police discovered the body.

This included driving away in Brown's work truck, visiting local shops to buy food, alcohol and cigarettes, and then returning to Mercury Close on foot just after 11.50pm.

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It is alleged that within two minutes of arriving, they had driven away in Mr Rowe's Rover car and it was later found abandoned near Brown's mum's house in Snowdon Close.

The jury was told he and Ripley had spent much of September 4 at Kay Brown's home but did not stay overnight.

It was on their return the following morning that she dialled 999 after her crying son told her "I'm so scared. I beat this man up. I think I killed him. He was a nonce. He brutally raped a two-year-old. I just beat him. I went mad."

The court heard details of Mr Rowe's conviction and sentencing for three offences of rape, three of indecent assault and one of gross indecency with a child could be found in a KentOnline report headlined "Dartford rapist William Rowe locked up for brutal sex attacks on young girl two decades ago".

The murder trial, which is expected to last up to four weeks, continues.