JURORS have heard how a man died from multiple injuries, but showed “comparatively few” signs of trying to defend himself in the trial of a friend accused of his murder.

Winchester Crown Court was told Szymon Kalita died from multiple blunt force injuries to his head, neck and chest and that ones to his head would have been enough to daze him or render him unconscious.

A pathologist said it was possible that he became unconscious earlier on in the attack.

Adam Dominiak is accused of murdering Mr Kalita at a flat in Shirley, Southampton, in May last year.

Prosecutors allege that after taking a cocktail of drink and drugs Dominiak, 41, used weapons to inflict “considerable violence over a prolonged period” to kill Mr Kalita before finally attempting to cut his head off with a blunt knife at his flat in Malmesbury Road.

The court heard Mr Kalita had 76 areas of injury, though some may be from medical efforts to save his life.

Dr Basil Purdue, forensic pathologist, who performed the post mortem, said it was possible some of Mr Kalita’s injuries had been made using the hammer, knife and screwdriver examined.

The 32-year-old had a fracture to the skull, a fractured nose and two black eyes. Dr Purdue said these injuries were heavy enough to have caused “impairment or loss of consciousness”.

He said that though frontal rib fractures were likely from resuscitation efforts, on Mr Kalita’s back he had three rib fractures on his right side and two to his left.

“This is typical of aggressive infliction not of resuscitation and requires considerable force to do it,” he said.

He said the chest fractures had punctured both lungs and “this would have severely impaired his ability to breathe ultimately preventing breathing altogether”.

Dr Purdue said many of the injuries to the head, torso and limbs showed a pattern that suggested a “shod foot or some other textured surface” had been usedJurors heard of “multiple puncture lacerations” to these areas, including behind both ears, many of which had gone through the skin and underlying soft tissue.

Dr Purdue said injuries suggested these were done using “one or more pointed objects, perhaps including an imperfectly sharpened knife”.

He said a fracture to Mr Kalita’s shoulder blade would require severe force, such as falling heavily against a piece of furniture or from kicking.

Dr Purdue said there were “comparatively few” defensive injuries from when someone is trying to block blows.

Although he said there were no injuries to Mr Kalita’s hands typical of when someone delivers blows with a clenched fist, he said it was possible to punch someone severely and have no marks at all.

Dominiak denies murder, claiming self-defence, that he was too intoxicated to intend to kill and that he lost control due to fear of serious violence. He claims Mr Kalita struck him in the back of the head and threatened him with a knife, prompting him to punch and kick back and hit him with a hammer.

Proceeding.