by Keith Hunt

A jury has retired to consider verdicts in the trial of a former strongman accused of murdering alcoholic Ted Shaxted at his Northfleet flat.

Marvin Service is alleged to have gone with others to the victim's home in Wallis Park four years ago and given him a beating for stealing a car and crashing it while drunk.

The prosecution called it a "callous, bullying revenge attack" which left Mr Shaxted's head looking like a pumpkin, swollen to almost double the normal size, and his rib cage broken virtually from top to bottom.

A paramedic said there was so much blood at the 36-year-old victim's flat in December 2007 that it looked like an abattoir. He died from his injuries two weeks later.

Service, 35, of Brandon Street, Gravesend, denied murder and manslaughter.

Three others, Trevor Lees, 39, of London Road, Northfleet, Kelvin Horlock, 33, of Hatfield Road, Strood and Bill Saunders, 31, of Denton Caravan Site, Shamrock Road, Gravesend (pictured l-r) have previously been convicted of Mr Shaxted's murder.

Mr Shaxted had taken a Peugeot car owned by Horlock's mother Karen with her pedigree dog in it. The dog ran off when the car crashed but was later found.

The jury at Maidstone Crown Court heard Service's left palm print was found on the wall of the bathroom where Mr Shaxted was dragged and beaten.

Service, who has competed in power lifting contests, admitted lying to police for two days by denying he had ever been to Wallis Park.

He then claimed he went to the flat to see if the police were there after Horlock told him "a fellah had been given a bit of a dig".

He said he went into the bathroom and saw blood. It must have been then, he added, that his palm print was left there.