A WHITEHAVEN man subjected to “hours of torture” in a flat by three men suffered multiple fractures which left many of his facial bones in pieces, a jury heard.

The extent of 40-year-old Sam McMahon’s injuries following violence at a flat in St James’ Court, Whitehaven, was set out at Carlisle Crown Court, where 32-year-old Jordan Starkey is on trial.

He denies any involvement in what the prosecution say was the “savage” beating of Mr McMahon over an extended period.

It involved him being punched and stamped on and hit with golf clubs, the jury heard. Starkey has pleaded not guilty to robbery, false imprisonment, and intentionally inflicting grievous bodily harm on Mr McMahon in June of last year.

On day two of the trial, after concluding the live prosecution evidence, prosecutor Tim Evans presented to the jury a series of agreed facts in the case, which included medical evidence and the results of forensic investigations.

Mr McMahon was taken to hospital by a police officer, whose car was flagged down by a concerned passer-by who had seen the badly injured Mr McMahon in Whitehaven on the evening of June 10.

His face was so bruised and swollen, the court heard, that the officer involved – who knew Mr McMahon – did not initially recognise him.

Mr Evans listed the “multiple fractures” that were confirmed by a CT scan at the hospital. They affected his nose, the bone around his right eye, his cheek bones, and his jaw on both sides.

Mr Evans said: “In the multiple fractures, there was not a single clean break. The bone was broken into multiple pieces.”

Mr McMahon was discharged from hospital with antibiotics on June 12, though he had to return for further treatment and was not discharged as an outpatient until July 27, by which time he was able to eat a normal diet.

The prosecutor then went on to outline the results of a forensic examination of the clothing Starkey was wearing at the time he was arrested in the flat where the violence happened.

Spots of Mr McMahon’s blood were found on the defendant's flip-flops and his T-shirt, the jury heard.

A forensic scientist had concluded that such spots would be expected if the wearer had been close to the source of the airborne blood. The spots could have result of force being applied to “wet blood,” said the expert.

Possible explanations included Starkey being involved in the assault or him being present when it happened.

Thus, the finding did not help in determining whether Starkey was involved in the assault of Mr McMahon, concluded the scientist.

The jury were then told about Starkey’s previous convictions for violence. They consisted of a battery in April, 2013; a battery in August, 2015; a wounding offence in October, 2015, along with three further offences of battery; August, 2016, affray; September, 2020 a battery, and October, 2022 another battery.

Starkey, of Seven Acres, Parton, sat in silence throughout his formal police interview. He later said that he had nothing to do with the violence.

The agreed facts given to the jury included the decision of two other men to plead guilty to intentionally causing Mr McMahon grievous bodily harm.

They were named as Dane Eldridge-Dalton, 35, of Richmond Hill Road, Whitehaven, and James Martin, 51,of St James Court,  Whitehaven.

The trial continues.