A vulnerable man who was allegedly kicked to death by two friends suffered multiple fractures to his head and 27 different breaks to his ribs.

Stephen Fogg had 31 different areas of injury on his head and shoulders and had been kicked or stamped on so violently that both the top and bottom parts of his jaw were both shattered.

His skull had fractures that ran from the back to his eyebrows. The injuries to his head and to his chest were each capable of having killed the 60-year-old man, Exeter Crown Court was told.

Lee Chugg and Jodie Swannick, who were living above a nearby shop at the time, are alleged to have killed him sometime in the 72 hours before Mr Fogg’s body was found in the kitchen of his home in Hawthorn Drive, Wembury, in the South Hams, on December 17, 2020.

Fogg was described as eccentric and had cognitive issues and lived in supportive accommodation. They knew him because he used his £7 a day allowance which he was given by carers to buy cider in the shop below their flat.

One of his peculiarities was that he liked to wear multiple layers of clothing and had three on his legs and six on his torso, including three different Plymouth Argyle shirts.

The prosecuting say they both attacked him after going to his house, possibly to share alcohol with him. They each say the other was responsible.

Chugg, aged 41, of Knighton Road, Plymouth, and Swannick, aged 31, formerly of Stoke Road, Plymouth, but now of no fixed address, both deny murder.

Home Office pathologist Dr Amanda Jeffery said Mr Fogg died from multiple injuries and that both those to his head and to his chest were capable of causing death. It was impossible to say which had done so.

She listed 31 different areas of external injury to his head, neck and throat including heavy bruising over the scalp, mouth, eyes, nose, cheeks and neck. There were four further areas of bruising over his trunk but nothing to suggest he tried to defend himself.

Two bones in his neck and one in his spine were broken and there were 27 fractures to 19 ribs, some of which were broken in more than one place.

His skull was fractured in a number of places and his eye sockets, nose, and jaw were broken or shattered. A molar tooth had been found next to the body, which was lying in a pool of blood.

She said: “He died due to significant blunt force injuries, primarily to the face, head and neck and additional chest injuries. The injuries are more typical of kicking and stamping.

“Overall, there had been a sustained blunt force assault focused on the upper part of his body. The injuries are typical of those caused by stamping or kicking. They suggest multiple impacts to the head and neck and at least two to the chest.

“Severe force would be required to produce the injuries and both women and men are capable of generating such force.”

Dr Jeffery added that there were injuries to both sides of Mr Fogg’s face.