A MAN was beaten to death and burnt by a homeless friend who moved into his flat, a court heard.

The severely-beaten body of Brendan Byrne, 51, was found wrapped in duvets in his basement home near Brighton seafront in November last year.

And days later bloodstained clothes, dentures, boots and documents belonging to Mr Byrne and Nigel Nolan were found dumped in a skip nearby - by which time Nolan, 37, who denies a charge of murder, had fled to Ireland, Lewes Crown Court was told.

Peter Rouch, prosecuting, said Mr Byrne was living in a basement flat in Chichester Place, Kemp Town, and Nolan had moved in with him after losing his job as a cook.

He said Mr Byrne's body was discovered by neighbour Patrick Curran and the owner of the building, Brian Cox, on November 30, last year.

They were concerned after they received no reply when trying to return a library card and store cards found in a nearby skip to Mr Byrne.

Mr Cox used a master key to enter the flat.

Mr Rouch said: "The room was in darkness and the curtains closed. They put on the light and could see on the floor around the bed some bedding with a person underneath."

Mr Cox told the court: "The sheets looked as if they had been arranged quite carefully - almost mummified. I lifted up one sheet and another one under it and I saw a head and a pool of blood."

Police were called and experts discovered Mr Byrne, who died from severe head injuries, had been dead for three or four days.

He had suffered multiple fractures, bruising and cuts to his face and body and white strips of cloth were found in his groin area where somebody had tried to set fire to his body.

Two days later a search of the skip where Mr Byrne's cards were found revealed two grey dustbin bags, the jury heard

They contained jeans with blood on them, dentures, a sheet, an inhaler and a pair of boots covered with Mr Byrne's blood and hair.

A third bag discovered by a binman contained Nolan's documents and more clothes.

Mr Rouch told the court on the previous Saturday Nolan had met a friend on Brighton pier and asked to borrow £100.

He confessed to the friend that he had got into trouble and had to get away - "he had to do a moonlight flit."

Days later, Nolan cashed Mr Byrne's disability allowance cheque at a post office in Paddington and went to

Galloway City, in Ireland. There he told his brother Patrick he had killed someone and Patrick told the police.

The trial continues.

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