A MAN was tortured for weeks by his girlfriend, her brother, her lover and her children before he was found dead at the house they shared, a court was told yesterday.

After the discovery in Chilton, County Durham, doctors were said to have found “an enormous number” of injuries on the body of Andrew Gardner.

He had also been suffering from blood poisoning and possible malnutrition.

Teesside Crown Court was told he had 21 rib fractures, burns to his feet, neck and back, whip-like marks on his body, severe bruising and bleeding inside the brain.

Home Office pathologist Dr Nigel Cooper concluded that the main cause of Mr Gardner’s death were the chest injuries and associated tears to the lining of the chest cavity.

The jury was told marks caused by sharp objects were also found on Mr Gardner’s stomach, described by Dr Cooper as “a grotesque game of noughts and crosses”.

The alleged catalogue of cruelty was outlined by Paul Sloan, QC, prosecuting, on the first day of the trial of Clare Nicholls, 28, Simon Nicholls, 24, and Steven Martin, 44, who all deny murder.

It is said Mr Gardner also:

● Had boiling water poured over his feet in the bath;
● Was burnt after being held against a radiator;
● Had a hot cigarette lighter put on his neck and back;
● Suffered knife wounds to his eyebrow, arm and chest;
● Was denied food and had to steal from cupboards;
● Was forced to stand and watch as the others ate;
● Had insults scrawled on his body in pen and nail polish;
● Was forced to sleep on newspapers and bags;
● Had a square object “jabbed” into his face; and
● Was scratched with keys by the children in the house.

The three defendants shared a house in Arthur Street, with Mr Gardner, 35, and Miss Nicholls’ four children – the youngest of whom was born to Mr Gardner.

Mr Martin, a former partner of Miss Nicholls, was said to have been involved in “an onoff relationship” with her at the time of Mr Gardner’s death nine months ago.

He had moved into the house shortly before the death on March 13, but later told police Miss Nicholls was a control freak who terrified him and others with her temper.

In an interview after his arrest, Mr Martin said he was scared to intervene when Miss Nicholls attacked Mr Gardner because he was afraid she would do the same to him.

Mr Nicholls blamed his sister for inflicting most of the injuries when he was interviewed, and also said Mr Martin took a part in some of the beatings.

When details of his interview were read to the jury by Mr Sloan, Miss Nicholls reacted angrily to being accused of leaping onto Mr Gardner with her knees.

She was removed from the dock by guards after screaming at her brother: “You were the one who cracked him. You were the one who cracked him in the ribs.”

In her interview, Miss Nicholls denied most of the allegations, but accepted she slapped, pushed and shoved Mr Gardner when she lost her temper with him.

She said Mr Gardner had gone for a walk on the night of his death, complained of being attacked when he returned and had fallen into unconsciousness.

Mr Nicholls later admitted concocting the story before calling 999.

Mr Sloan described the notion Mr Gardner died within half an hour of returning as “utter rubbish”.

He told the jury: “It is apparent that Andrew Gardner had been severely and repeatedly beaten, burned and tortured over a period of weeks.

“There were a large number of linear wounds – scratches – scattered around the body, indicating that the point of an object or objects had been pulled deliberately and repeatedly across the surface of the body.

“Dr Cooper described this as a grotesque game of noughts and crosses drawn on Andrew Gardener’s skin.

“In addition to the specific injuries, Dr Cooper also noted an enormous number of further injuries, including bruises and abrasions scattered about Andrew Gardner’s body. Those injuries were of at least three different ages They indicate an innumerable number of blows dealt to Andrew Gardner, quite possibly punches, slaps, quite possibly kicks or blows from a weapon or weapons, over a period of at least weeks.”

The court was told that Mr Gardner routinely dropped off and collected his partner’s three eldest children – aged nine, seven and five – from school.

Staff last saw him on the last day of term – a month before his death – and on that occasion his face was covered in bruises and cuts.

Miss Nicholl’s seven-yearold son gave an account to police after the death, and Mr Sloan described as “most disturbing”

the fact that he believed the treatment as “normal”.

The boy told detectives that his mother would often punch Mr Gardner in the face, stamp on him when he curled up to protect himself and jump on him with her knees.

He said Miss Nicholls did “full-power” karate kicks to her partner’s legs, and that Mr Gardner was forced to sleep on newspapers and bags to stop blood going on the carpet.

The boy told police after his mother’s arrest how almost the entire family scrawled words on Mr Gardener’s body, sometimes in nail varnish “because he acted like a girl”.

The trial continues.