A jury has retired to consider its verdict in the trial of a man accused of murdering his drinking buddy with a savage beating.
Kieran Potts had spent the day drinking in Norman Ryan’s flat before a row with his father, Carl, turned the atmosphere sour and a brief scuffle broke out between the pair.
The 24-year-old is accused of punching, kicking, and stamping, the alleged victim leaving him covered in blood and unconscious on the floor of his Hartlepool home.
Jurors at Teesside Crown Court heard how Potts accepted that he had hit Mr Ryan but maintained it was in self-defence and he had not suffered the fatal injuries at the time he left the flat on Troutpool Close on August 31 last year.
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The 55-year-old died in hospital several days later without regaining consciousness.
Earlier the court heard how Carl Potts, the defendant’s father, had died before the case came to trial but his evidence was still to be submitted to the jury.
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He told police that he believed it was his son that delivered the fatal blows to his friend and neighbour.
Potts, of Moffatt Road, Hartlepool, denies murder.
The jury has retired for the day and will return tomorrow (Thursday) to continue its deliberations.
The trial continues.
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