A MAN seen hanging out his washing hours after allegedly bludgeoning a vulnerable man to death was trying to get rid of evidence linking him to the crime, a jury was told yesterday.

Andrew Albert Johnson's clothes would have been covered in blood after he rained down blows on the back of Fred Shipley's head as he lay on his kitchen floor, it is alleged.

The motive for the murder, carried out with a hammer or similar weapon, remains unknown.

Mr Johnson, 40, has pleaded not guilty at Newcastle Crown Court to murdering the 59-year-old bachelor in his home in Paradise Crescent, Easington Colliery, County Durham, in the early hours of Saturday, July 3, last year.

Andrew Robertson, prosecuting, said forensic evidence showed Mr Shipley, last seen alive the previous evening, had been punched or slapped in the face as he stood in his kitchen.

He was then struck at least eight times on the head as he lay on the floor, suffering massive head injuries.

Mr Robertson said Mr Johnson's left palm print had been found on the fridge door, where he would have braced himself during the attack.

"The defendant would have got blood on his clothes during the murder. It was obvious he wanted to get rid of that evidence and never wanted to be seen doing that."

But "unfortunately" for him, a neighbour out walking at 7.30am, saw Mr Johnson hanging out washing in the back garden of a house in John Street in the village.

The court was told, he hadn't yet moved to that house and had told police he had slept at the house he was moving from, in nearby Easington Street.

Mr Robertson said: "So anxious was he that he had not completely destroyed the evidence that he went further and disposed of the clothing."

The body of Mr Shipley was found at 5.30pm.

The court was told Mr Shipley suffered mental health problems and that Mr Johnson had taken advantage of him - once borrowing money he never repaid. The week before the murder, Mr Johnson asked Mr Shipley if he could borrow his Peugeot 306 for a day to move clothing to his new house - but he did not return it for a week and falsely claimed he had paid for its repair after it had broken down.

The trial continues on Thursday.