A down-and-out died after he was savagely attacked in a toilet in Thanet, a court heard.

Alan Parker, known around the area for his red shopping trolley and diminutive stature, was beaten around his head, neck and body. The 44-year-old was then left for dead in the cubicle in the toilets in Fifth Avenue, Walpole Bay, in March last year.

His unconscious body was found by a cleaner but despite medical help he died later that day at the Queen Elizabeth Queen Mother Hospital in Margate.

A post mortem revealed he had died from multiple injuries including a fractured skull, fractured nose, broken ribs and fractured neck cartilege.

A jury at Maidstone Crown Court was told the injuries to Mr Parker's neck were consistent with stamping or kicking.

The seven men and five women were also told the two men allegedly responsible later appeared "proud" of what they had done.

Prosecutor Oliver Saxby said Duncan Shelbourne, 45, was overheard by a witness to describe Mr Parker's head as having "squirted like a watermelon."

"He was a punch bag literally and metaphorically."

Prosecutor Oliver Saxby

Shelbourne, of Dalby Square, Cliftonville, denies murder. However, the jury was told a second man, 21-year-old Kyle Eames, was not on trial as he has admitted murder.

Mr Saxby said it was the prosecution's case that Shelbourne and Eames, of no fixed address, acted together. "It is a case of joint enterprise," he explained. "Two people acting together and each responsible for the actions of each other."

Mr Parker, Shelbourne and Eames were said to be part of the "street community" in Margate. They had no permanent accommodation and would either sleep rough or in local guest houses, did not work and spent their days drinking "copious" amounts of alcohol.

They would often frequent a soup kitchen in Northdown Road and the bar at the indoor bowls centre on the Eastern Esplanade.

Mr Saxby told the court the trio were "an unlikely threesome".

He said Mr Parker was a distinctive figure around the town, just 5ft tall and about eight stone. He would often wear clothes too big for him and tuck his trousers in his socks.

His red trolley bag was permanently with him, which he would push in front of him as he walked along.

Mr Parker was also in ill health. He wore glasses, had poor hearing and walked with a limp. Shelbourne later told police following his arrest that Mr Parker was "vulnerable" and "a bit retarded."

While Shelbourne and Eames may have enjoyed Mr Parker's company, Mr Saxby added that beneath the surface there was a "barely disguised disdain, even hatred" for him.

After his arrest Shelbourne claimed Mr Parker stole from his own disabled father, would hang around the public toilets "looking for business" and was often called a nonce by others.

"Mr Parker was an obvious target and an easy target, ill equipped to fight back," Mr Saxby continued. "He was a punch bag literally and metaphorically."

The trial continues.