Swansea murder trial: Victim 'stamped on several times'

John Williams was found dead in his home in March

A man who was found dead at his home could have been hit and stamped on at least seven times, a court has heard.

John Williams, 67, was found dead at a house in Bonymaen in Swansea in March with his hands tied behind his back.

Pathologist Dr Derek James told Swansea Crown Court he could not tell "with any accuracy" how many blows there were.

Jonathan Donne, 42, Gemma Owen, 31, and Simon Cairns, 46, all from Swansea, deny murdering Mr Williams and a charge of robbery.

Giving evidence, Dr James said that injuries to seven parts of Mr Williams' body were most likely inflicted by separate events.

He told the court his post-mortem examination found three separate areas on Mr Williams' body that indicated the use of footwear, with the injuries potentially caused by stamping or kicking.

"His neck injuries might be from one impact, a stamp is easier to explain," Dr James said.

Jurors heard Mr Williams had died from "blunt force injuries to the brain and face" and had also suffered a fracture to part of his voice box.

Dr James also said there had been "evidence of a significant, fresh brain injury".

He said Mr Williams had suffered a number of injuries to his face, including "two fractured cheek bones" and a broken nose.

The trial is expected to last up to four weeks at Swansea Crown Court

Mr Williams had also sustained cuts and bruises to his hands, arms, back and legs, the court heard.

Dr James said there were a number of injuries around Mr Williams' wrists from where he had been tied up, suggesting that the "ligature" had been used to tie his hands while he was still alive.

Mr Williams, who was found face down in his living room, also showed signs of "a friction burn type injury" under his eyes, which Dr James said could have been caused by being dragged across carpet.

But despite curved bruising across parts of Mr Williams' shoulders, back and arms indicating the use of footwear, it was impossible to match the marks to any particular shoe, the court heard.

The trial continues.