Man, 93, tortured for 28 hours, court hears

A vulnerable man died months after being "savagely" beaten for 28 hours by his friend who was "suffering from paranoia caused by cannabis consumption", a court heard.

Martin Glynn, 93, was attacked at a property in Gold Street in Desborough, in Northamptonshire, in September 2024, and died in Kettering General Hospital on 26 December that year.

Samuel Michael Field, 40, formerly of Gold Street, Desborough, denies murder as well as manslaughter, grievous bodily harm with intent and grievous bodily harm.

At Northampton Crown Court, the prosecution said Field was a "ticking time-bomb in the days and hours leading up to this attack".

"Mr Glynn, unfortunately, walked into that ticking time-bomb," added prosecutor Adrian Langdale KC.

The court heard how Glynn was punched, kicked, stamped on and strangled in a "senseless attack" at Field's home in Desborough.

Langdale said the victim was fit and healthy enough to make a journey of more than two hours, using multiple buses, to the defendant's home on Gold Street, from his own home in Northampton, on 19 September.

Langdale said he arrived at his friend's property at about 11:24 BST.

Langdale said: "Over the course of the next 28 hours, this defendant, seemingly high on cannabis, suffering from paranoia caused by cannabis consumption, and deliberately not sleeping, would repeatedly and savagely punch, kick and stamp on the head, and then strangle until there were fractures of the neck of Mr Glynn.

"On the evidence, the crown say, effectively torturing Martin Glynn."

Langdale said the "brutality of the assault" was "entirely pointless, entirely unjustified".

The prosecutor told the jury this was known because Glynn was forced into a "recorded interrogation" which had been recovered.

He said Field questioned the victim about an "imagined conspiracy" and that he repeatedly assaulted him when "Mr Glynn did not answer" in the way the defendant wanted.

Langdale said Glynn never left a hospital or care home bed in the time between the attack and his eventual death.

The case continues.

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