POLICE missed four opportunities in three hours to stop a killer who beat a defenceless man to death in his own home, a court heard.

Duncan Hearsey is thought to have kicked or stamped on Alan Creasey’s head at least four times, a jury heard yesterday.

Opening the prosecution case at Hearsey’s murder trial at Lewes Crown court Nick Corsellis said that there had been four 999 calls about Hearsey’s violent and aggressive behaviour that evening -culminating in police officers visiting the victim’s home but missing Hearsey by just minutes.

Hearsey, 44, of Emerald Quay, Shoreham, had been thrown out of two pubs after threatening bar staff and customers and smashed a kebab shop window.

His tragic victim could be heard telling Hearsey “go away”, in a 999 call less than an hour before he was found mortally wounded.

Each time the police arrived too late and Hearsey carried on his drunken rampage, the court was told.

Hearsey watched officers leave Mr Creasey’s home in Ingleside Crescent, Lancing, before returning to brutally attack the smaller, older and defenceless man, Mr Corsellis said.

He said: “Mr Hearsey started drinking earlier that day. He went to the Railway Arms where he was asked repeatedly to leave.

“He started threatening the barmaid saying he would burn her home down.

“Police had to be called but he left before they arrived.

Hearsey continued to the nearby Andreas kebab takeaway, where again staff had to call 999 because of his aggressive behaviour, Mr Corsellis said.

“He was clearly very drunk and aggressive.

“Unfortunately police had a call to another incident of higher priority.

He left the kebab shop before they arrived and headed down to The Farmers pub.

“He was clearly very drunk and told he could no not be served, to which he threatened ‘I’m going to cut your face of’. The police were called a third time.

“At 8.15 Mr Creasy called police to report an intruder was attacking him. The police arrived and he was on the phone to the ambulance service reporting an injury to his arm.”

“He gave them the description of the man he was with. The police left at 7.40pm looking for the man and advised him to lock his doors.

“Shortly after they left the attacker returned and killed him.

“At about 9.10pm on the evening of May 29 police officers attended his address. He was obviously seriously injured, lying in a pool of blood.

“Hearsey had been drinking to massive excess that day.

“Hearsey attacked him with such massive force he can only have intended to kill him or cause him very serious harm.

“Mr Hearsey accepts he was the person who ended his life.

“This case is going to centre precisely around what he did that day and what he intended.”

Mr Corsellis said that Mr Creasey’s injuries included a “degloved” right ear indicating he had been kicked or stamped on as he lay on the ground. He had at least four separate head injuries and a broken collar bone .

“This was plainly a severe and sustained attack”, Mr Corsellis said.

“He went on to explain that blood spatter showed that Mr Creasey had hit wet blood as he lay on the floor.

“He was on the floor bleeding and bloodied.

“It suggested Mr Creasey was battered, fallen and defenceless. It demonstrates an intention to kill or cause really serious harm.”

Hearsey denies murder. The trial continues.

BARMAID TELLS OF ‘THREAT TO BURN MY HOUSE DOWN’

A BARMAID told the court how a man accused of murder threatened “I’ll burn your house down” hours before he allegedly beat a man to death.

Joanna White had asked Duncan Hearsey to leave The Railway pub in Lancing at about 5pm on March 29. But it was an hour and a half before he finally left, she told Lewes Crown Court yesterday.

Ms White said: “I had never met him before and didn’t know his name.

“I could tell he’d had a drink, but didn’t think he was any different to any of the other customers. He had an open can of beer with him and he said he was going to finish that first before ordering a drink. At about 4pm I saw him outside with two other customers. The lady started shouting at him. Then the lady and man left.

“I told him he would have to calm down as I didn’t want any trouble.

“He said ‘why are you picking on me?’ He was trying to pick a fight, It was like he was trying to wind people up and start something. I said I wasn’t going to serve him any more but he kept going outside and drinking cans out of his bag.

“He leaned over the bar and said ‘ I know where you live. I will burn your house down’. Then he started filming me with his phone.”

Ms White added that at the time she took his comment with “a pinch of salt” but later heard he had been involved in incidents with other locals, and gossip about the murder allegations. She dialled 999 just after 6pm then called again to tell police he had left of his own accord at around 6.30pm.