Two men who tortured and murdered a man with learning disabilities because they wrongly thought he was a paedophile have been jailed.

Keith Philpott, 36, could not read or write and had suffered from learning difficulties since he was born prematurely.

He befriended a 13-year-old girl and her brother, Sean Swindon, 24, was one of the two men who barged in to his flat and murdered him. The other was Michael Peart, 22.

Mr Philpott was tied and gagged and repeatedly kicked and punched until his head became a "bloody pulp."

While he was still alive but probably unconscious Teesside Crown Court heard that Swindon used a kitchen knife to saw across Mr Philpott's abdomen and disembowelled him.

Swindon had believed that Mr Philpott had make sexual suggestions to his 13-year-old sister Gemma and had molested her. In fact Mr Philpott had allowed his flat to be used by Gemma and her friends but no improper sexual conduct had occurred.

Graham Reeds, QC, prosecuting explained that Mr Philpott could not read or write and only lived at his flat in Billingham, near Stockton-on-Tees with the support of his mother and brother.

He said: "Mr Philpott was known and well-repected in the area in which he lived. One neighbour described him as friendly and particularly helpful. Another said he was a 'lovely lad who never walked past without saying hello.' He was described as very trusting and someone who wanted to be friends with everyone.

"Gemma Swindon was the sister of Sean. It seems she and her friends would come and go and used Mr Philpott's flat when they wanted to. Mr Philpott's nieghbour, Angela Brown, said that Gemma was abusing his hospitality.

"On March 21 a witness spoke of seeing a threatening text message on Mr Philpott's phone. It was allegedly sent by Gemma and said, 'you pervert, you are going to get your legs broken, watch your back and watch your flat.'

It seems that last year Gemma complained that Keith Philpott had sent sexually offensive texts but there is no record of that and Mr Phlipott could not read or write, at least not properly.

"The last person to see Mr Philpott alive, apart from Swindon and Peart, was a neighbour who said Keith showed him a new bicycle he had bought that day.

When he left that home Swindon and Peart were waiting for him.

"They waited until he went into the flat, Swindon then punched him and closed the door and put on the security lock.

"There was then a sustained and horrifically violent assault which last for several hours. Keith Philpott was bound and gagged by Swindon and kicked and punched repeatedly in the face by both of them. His face became effectively a bloody pulp.

"Finally, when Mr Philpott was still alive although probably not conscious, his was stabbed in the abdomen and disembowelled by sawing across the abdomen by a knife."