A businessman was brutally beaten to death at his home before burglars fled with a safe containing at least £100,000, a court heard.

It's alleged the raid was carried out by the same gang that launched a violent attack on the home of a champion clay pigeon marksman.

Roy Blackman was stripped naked at his bungalow in Biddenden and punched, kicked and stamped on by burglars who eventually fled with a safe thought to contain between £100,000 and £250,000.

Mark Love has gone on trial accused of murdering the 73-year-old garage owner and bird breeder in March and aggravated burglary at the home of George and Kate Digweed in Ewhurst Lane, Northiam, Rye, east Sussex, a month before.

Prosecutor Simon Taylor also alleged that another man, William Smith - who was later shot dead by police - was also part of the gang involved in both offences.

He told a jury of seven men and five women at Maidstone Crown Court: “Mark Love was involved in both of them. Serious violence was used against the occupants.

“There is one key difference between the allegations. Tragically violence in the second offence led to the death of the occupant - Roy Blackman, a 73-year-old widower beaten to death in his own home.

“Mercifully, the victims of the earlier burglary didn’t suffer such an extreme fate, although significant injuries were sustained by the male occupant.”

Mr Taylor said DNA from both Love, 37, of Frittenden Road, Staplehurst, and Smith, who was 36 and from Golford near Cranbrook, was found at the scene of both crimes.

“It may well have been, had he been alive, William Smith would have been in the dock alongside Mr Love,” he said.

Mr Blackman was murdered at Heartsay Bungalow in Headcorn Road, Biddenden, during the night of March 20 into the early morning.

It was likely he was stripped and beaten after interrupting the burglars. His home was “comprehensively ransacked” as they searched for valuables.

“Both Mr Love and Mr Smith left deposits of their DNA at the scene of the crime,” said Mr Taylor. “It was in circumstances which were otherwise inexplicable.

"Tragically violence in the second offence led to the death of the occupant - Roy Blackman, a 73-year-old widower beaten to death in his own home" - Simon Taylor, prosecuting

Love’s DNA was found on a glove and debris under a fish tank and on a tap in the bathroom. Smith’s DNA was on a cleaning bottle in the lounge.

The burglars had run a bath in the upstairs of the chalet bungalow to wash items in an attempt to destroy scientific evidence.

Mr Blackman rarely went upstairs because of the poor condition of his knees.

Police found his clothes near his body. They had been cut from him and were soaking wet.

“Concerted efforts were made by the gang to clean the place up,” said Mr Taylor.

The interior of a white Astra van associated with him at a lock-up at Porkpie Farm in Frittenden was sodden with dirty water as if it had been submerged in a lake.

Mr Taylor said the stolen safe, which contained a large amount of cash, had not been recovered. Because of its size it was likely it would have been transported in a van.

In the burglary at Mr Digweed’s home there was a level of violence for no good reason. He was struck over the head with a weapon when completely compliant.

“This is important because it provides an insight into what Mr Blackman must have gone through at the hands of his intruders and also what they were intending to do when they entered Mr Blackman’s property,” continued Mr Taylor.

The jury, he said, would be visiting both properties tomorrow.

Mr Digweed was a championship marksman who had won many international competitions. His home was adorned with trophies and mementos.

He and his wife were watching television at about 8pm on Sunday, February 21, in their lounge when the glass in the rear patio door shattered.

Mrs Digweed later described it as being like an explosion and a black gloved hand coming through the door as “like something out of a horror film”.

Four masked men dressed in black burst in. One thought to be the ringleader was shouting at them, demanding up to £30,000 cash and valuables including gold medals. They also wanted to know where the safe was.

Mrs Digweed’s hands were bound with gaffer tape. Her husband was struck on the head for no reason with what was believed to be a club hammer - later found to have Love and Smith’s DNA on it.

A Taser was held to his face and throat as the gang continued to terrorise the couple. Love’s DNA was found on the weapon and the battery.

"The nature of the injuries were entirely consistent with multiple blunt force trauma including not only heavy punches, but also stamps and kicks" - Simon Taylor, prosecuting

Fearing for his wife’s safety, Mr Digweed went to a storeroom where he kept his guns and two safes. Between £10-12,000 in one of the safes was taken.

A duvet had been brought down from a bedroom and trophies were loaded into it. An attempt was made to steal a Range Rover but one of the burglars could not work out how to use the contactless key.

Instead, they targeted a Toyota Hilux pick-up truck. They demanded to know where Mr Digweed’s competition guns were kept. He told them he only had two and they were taken.

The intruders left taking the truck. It was seen soon afterwards in Tenterden at a spot which appeared to be the meeting place before and after the raid.

It was next spotted in Townland Close, Biddenden, about five miles from the homes of Love and Smith, on March 7. No DNA profiles were obtained from it.

Mr Taylor said Love and Smith were seen together in the early evening of March 20 by a witness before Mr Blackman was killed.

They were at Love’s lock-up at Porkpie Farm. At about the same time, Nicola Blackman saw her father alive for the last time.

She worked for him at a garage next to his home. She went there to the bungalow to check on him shortly before 9am and found him lying naked on his back in the living and dining area.

He had severe facial injuries and was not breathing. She returned to the garage and called the emergency services. Paramedics pronounced him dead at 9.12am.

A post mortem examination revealed the injuries were concentrated on his head. He had black eyes, a broken nose, fractured left cheekbone and a subarachnoid haemorrhage, consistent with a brain injury.

Mr Blackman had defensive injuries to his hands and arms from trying to protect himself from blows.

“There were myriad abrasions and bruises extending over his body,” said Mr Taylor. “The nature of the injuries were entirely consistent with multiple blunt force trauma including not only heavy punches, but also stamps and kicks."

The victim had fractured ribs and bruising to his abdomen. The pathologist concluded there had been punches, stamps and kicks.

Mr Taylor said Mr Blackman was a quiet and private person who did not socialise outside his family. He was “old school” and dealt only in cash. He lived alone with his Jack Russell Bonzo.

The safe stolen would have contained cash between £100,000 and £250,000, property deeds, jewellery belonging to his late wife and an air rifle.

Neighbour James Hawgood had heard noises outside at about 2am on March 21. He looked out of his bedroom window but did not see anything untoward. About 40 minutes later he heard a vehicle pulling away at speed.

CCTV footage showed the lights of a vehicle arriving at Mr Blackman’s driveway at 11.23pm the night before. It left 14 minutes later and headed towards Biddenden.

Mr Blackman’s belongings were strewn throughout the house. There was blood on the floor, work surfaces and walls.

Love’s DNA was recovered from the cold tap of the bath. The “match probability” was one in a billion. Love and Smith were possible contributors to DNA on a workman’s glove underneath the fish tank in the lounge.

Smith’s DNA was on a bottle of cleaning fluid in the lounge.

Mr Taylor said the two men would have had no reason to be there beyond executing their plan to violently steal.

Within 20 hours of the murder Love and Smith went on a shopping expedition at the designer outlet in Ashford. They went to several shops and spent over £600 in cash in the Fred Perry clothing store.

“Staff observed their behaviour was flash and boastful and were clearly trying to impress the female shop assistants,” said Mr Taylor.

“They bragged about going to the bookies and spending £500 and asked the female assistants what they were doing later.”

Love had a cut to his forehead. A shop assistant described it as fresh with dried blood around it.

"All I can say to you I’ve never killed anybody and I would never do anything like that" - Mark Love's police statement

“The Crown’s case is that in all probability he sustained that injury while he was beating Roy Blackman to death just a few hours before,” said the prosecutor.

Love changed into a full set of new clothing he bought, down to his socks and shoes. He asked for staff to dispose of his original clothes, but they refused.

It was indicative of his concerns there may have been deposits of blood or other material of significance on him when Mr Blackman was murdered, said Mr Taylor.

CCTV showed Smith changing his clothes in the toilets at the centre.

Love and Smith went to a betting shop in Beaver Lane and gambled £140 on a gaming machine.

On March 25, a family were out for a walk in Digdog Lane, Frittenden, when they saw items in the stream. They fished out an air rifle, jewellery and a Blackman Motors key fob which came from his home.

Also found in the stream was a number plate from a Mini Cooper car, which was parked near the meeting point for the gang in Tenterden.

Mr Taylor said Love was arrested after he presented himself at Folkestone police station on April 7.

He said in a prepared statement: “I have been told why I have been arrested. I would like to say that at no time have I been to Heartsay Bungalow, Heartsay Garage, Headcorn in Kent. I did not murder Roy Blackman, nor do I know who did. I would like to add that I repair motor vehicles on a part-time basis.”

When asked about his DNA being found, he replied: “All I can say to you I’ve never killed anybody and I would never do anything like that.”

Asked how his DNA came to be at the bungalow, he said: “No idea and all I can say is no comment.”

The case continues.