A cold blooded gang tortured then murdered a vulnerable young man before wheeling his body in a bin to an industrial estate where they doused him in petrol and set it on fire, a court heard.

Jamie Dack had been stabbed repeatedly to the neck, chest, abdomen, legs and shoulder and beaten by the group, who had set out to rob him of his laptop and cashcard, using their fists, feet, broken bottles and kitchen knives.

But Winchester Crown Court heard how the 22-year-old's body was so badly burnt when it was discovered in a large waste bin in Empress Road, Southampton, on Easter Sunday, that the full extent of his injuries will never be known.

Jurors were told how the "chilling" ordeal began four days earlier, on April 5 this year, when Jamie had been lured to a flat in Bevois Mews, Southampton, where two of his alleged killers Andrew Dwyer-Skeats, 26, and his then girlfriend Donna Chalk, 21, were squatting.

The one-bedroom flat where the alleged torturing and murder took place, was regularly visited by Lee Nicholls, 28, and Ryan Woodmansey, 32, who are both also charged with killing Jamie.

They distracted him and stole his laptop in a bid to sell it to get cash so they could go to a rave in Bournemouth the following night, prosecutor Christopher Parker QC told the court.

But when they didn't succeed they decided to steal his cash card and back at the flat Jamie was beaten with a rounders bat before his card was taken by Woodmansey who withdrew £20.

Jamie was left in the flat overnight and the following day all four accused went out and successfully sold his laptop.

When they returned shortly before midday on Good Friday, they slowly tortured him to death in the kitchen as they wielded broken bottles and knives, Mr Parker said.

Jurors were told how his blood-soaked body was left in the first floor flat while Woodmansey, Chalk and Dwyer-Skeats went to the rave. Nicholls had returned home to the Southampton Street hostel where he lived.

It wasn't until the following day that all four returned to the flat and began "systematically" cleaning the property including removing a blood soaked carpet.

They then put Jamie's body into a wheelie bin from outside the flat and dragged him to the industrial estate where they poured petrol over the body and set it alight.

Nicholls, Dwyer-Skeats and Woodmansey have pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice by removing, disposing of and setting Jamie's body in fire. Chalk denies the same charge.

All four defendants deny murder.

Proceeding.