A car owner was attacked and savagely beaten in his home after he refused to hand over his keys.

Thomas Brown, 29, needed 52 stitches to his head, and had a broken nose, cracked cheekbone, bruising and swelling to his head, and bruising to his back, shoulders and arms after he was attacked by Carl Walker, on March 24.

Newcastle Crown Court heard that the 18-year-old had called at Mr Brown's home, in Forth Avenue, Chester-le-Street, County Durham, some days earlier and asked to borrow his J-reg Renault 5.

Mr Brown refused, but had given Walker and three others a lift and helped to jump-start a car after they said it had broken down nearby.

But the court heard that Walker returned with another man and when Mr Brown's friend, Scott Parks, answered the late-night knock at the door, he was met by a punch in the face.

Mr Brown told the court: "I had nodded off in the chair. I didn't hear the knock at the door, but heard the commotion in the passage.

"I saw Carl and another man in the living room. Carl said 'give me your car keys'. He was very aggressive, totally different to the way he was before."

The court heard that Mr Brown refused to hand over his keys while he attempted to get the men out of his home, but suffered a savage beating as a result.

Neighbour Philip Martin managed to remove Walker from the premises and the emergency services were called.

Part way through the trial, which started yesterday, Walker, of Wynyard, Chester-le-Street, pleaded guilty to robbery, two charges of unlawful wounding and one of assaulting another male who was at the house,.

He will be sentenced on January 21.