A 76-year-old pensioner was beaten over his head and body with a poker and potato masher and then left for dead, it has been alleged.

Ex-Merchant Navy sailor Kenneth Seymour was battered at his home in Rutland Avenue in Margate – and suffered fractures of the nose, head and back.

His alleged attacker Mariusz Dobkowski, 30, then smashed the intercom and phone to prevent him calling for help, a jury at Canterbury Crown Court was told.

Dobkowski, of no fixed address, has pleaded not guilty to the attempted murder of the pensioner who spent three weeks in intensive care.

Prosecutor Martin Yale told the jury that after the attack, police released wanted photographs of Dobkowski, who then left for Belgium.

He said: "A European arrest warrant was issued and in July last year he was arrested when he arrived at Heathrow Airport.

"An analysis of Mr Seymour’s injuries indicated he had been subjected to a sustained blunt force trauma assault..." - Prosecutor Martin Yale

"Later that day he was charged and replied: 'I just want to say, I did not attempt to murder that man'."

Mr Yale claimed the “brutal attack” happened on December 14, 2013, at Mr Seymour’s flat after the two had been seen in Margate.

“Mr Seymour enjoyed socialising in Margate and was regularly seen in the bars in the town. He was a very friendly man.

“He would often strike up conversations with others in the bars and was very generous in buying drinks.”

The prosecutor said the pensioner was seen at the Ruby Lounge and Oddfellows Club in Margate before being spotted at a bus stop in Cecil Square.

“He was waiting to catch the bus home. A short while later he was seen talking to another man.

“The Crown say that this was Dobkowski. CCTV footage showed the two getting on well.

“When they got off the bus, the two went to Mr Seymour’s flat where Dobrowski attacked him," it was claimed.

The prosecutor added: “An analysis of Mr Seymour’s injuries indicated he had been subjected to a sustained blunt force trauma assault.

“It seems likely that one of the weapons was a poker which had been used to strike the chest, back, face and most probably the head. A potato masher found at the flat was also used," he claimed.

The prosecutor told the jury: “The Crown says the ferocious nature of the attack and the fact Dobkowski smashed Mr Seymour’s landline telephone and intercom, so he had no means of summoning help, thus leaving him for dead, means you can be sure Dobkowski’s intention was to kill Mr Seymour."

A neighbour eventually heard Mr Seymour's cries for help and summoned the emergency services and he was taken to hospital and treated for his injuries.

The trial continues.

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