A former Welsh Guardsman was brutally beaten to death as he sheltered from the winter cold while choosing to sleep rough.

Richard Jones, 47, was found lying in a pool of blood by a kind-hearted passer-by who had stopped to offer him money for a bed in the early hours of New Year's Day this year.

The ex-soldier had drawn on his army experience of the outdoors and decided to make a bed for himself on the picturesque promenade at South Shields seafront, South Tyneside.

He had decided to travel around after the death of his 80-year-old mother in Naomi, Treorchy, Wales, who he had previously devoted his time to caring for.

But Newcastle Crown Court heard that he died due to brain damage after suffering multiple blows to the head at the hands of local teenager David Pallister, 18, who was making his way from a party.

Mr Jones suffered a number of injuries to his head including lacerations, bruises and abrasions, and had a broken larynx due to something being pulled tightly across the front of his neck.

He had also been the victim of a sexual assault, although it is unclear whether he was alive or dead at the time.

Forensic evidence showed that Mr Jones had been kicked and dragged about before his lifeless, naked body was dumped near a bin and covered with his sleeping bag.

Prosecutor Toby Hedworth QC told the court: "New Year's night of 2001-02 was a very cold night. There was a covering of snow across the North East coast on the sea front at South Shields.

"In the early hours of January 1 there were very few hardly soles about but one person was out and about.

"He was a local resident and was out and about because he deliberately went down to the promenade to give some money to a former soldier, Richard Jones who had taken to living an unusual lifestyle.

"Mr Jones was no tramp but did not fall into conventional compartments. Perhaps because of his military service he had chosen to sleep outside and had over winter been sleeping rough in a shelter on the promenade.

"Neville Hartley had passed the shelter at 9pm and Richard Jones had been apparently asleep in his sleeping bag at that time.

"Mr HArtley returned on new year's morning to give him money to get a bed on this freezing hnight and he found mr Jones had been brutally beaten to death.

"It was apparent that the deceased had been repeatedly kicked but also dragged about. The kicking was so severe blood splashed five and a half feet up the shelter wall."

Evidence also showed that as well as being kicked, Mr Jones' head was most probably stamped on.

The court heard that a bloody fingerprint found at the snow-covered scene was matched to Pallister's training shoe.

Swabs taken from the body of Mr Jones were found to contain Pallister's semen and diluted blood which matched Mr Jones' was found on Pallister's Nike trainer when examined.

Bike tracks were also found at the scene and when Pallister was asked about his bike he said he had abandoned it after falling off and hurting himself on new year's day.

Mr Hedworth added: "The defendant was arrested on the morning of January 16. He was arrested on suspicion of murder.

"Significantly though, he was not told the date of the offence. He was not told who the victim was nor any other circumstances.

"He was not told which murder, just we are arresting you on suspicion of murder.

"Yet immediatly his reaction was to say that he was out on new year's eve, who, you may ask, mentioned new year's eve?"

The court heard that after pallister was confronted with the scientific evidence linking him to the scene he suddenly changed his account of what he had been doing and said he had no recollection.

More recently Pallister said in a statement he has been having dreams about the killing which suggest either he had killed Mr Jones after being provoked or that the killing had been at the hands of someone else who had forced him to have sexual contact with Mr Jones.

Mr Hedworth said: "Submit the Crown, the reality of this case is the evidence will prove that the defendant went into the shelter deliberately, perhaps to rob Mr Jones or perhaps for sexual purposes, but once there he brutally beat that man.

"He subjected Mr Jones to such a sustained beating, including stamping on his head, he must, we submit, have intended to kill him or at the very least to cause him very serious injury."

Pallister, of Ashley Road, South Shields, denies murder and the trial continues.