A MURDER trial jury heard graphic evidence of the injuries sustained by 26-year-old Lee McKnight before he was thrown into a river.

Opening the case at Carlisle Crown Court, QC Tim Cray described how a farmer made the “gruesome” discovery of Mr McKnight’s body, finding him dumped in the River Caldew shortly after 5am.

The farmer had investigated after seeing a black pick-up truck driving along a lane south of Calrisle at 4.40am on July 24 last year.

He also heard a loud “ping” – presumed to be the sound of the vehicle forcing its way through a field gate, breaking the chain. Wrapped in a pair of curtains, Mr McKnight was found lying face down in the river.

Mr Cray outlined the results of the post-mortem.

A report by consultant pathologist Dr Brian Rogers would say Mr McKnight was taken to the river that morning in a state of “extreme injury but alive”.

Mr Cray said: “The post mortem confirms first impressions were right: that there were a lot of injuries to the head.

"Dr Rogers found 36 lacerations just to Lee’s head and the appearance of many of these injuries was consistent with being beaten with a whip – not the crop end but the hard diamante head of the whip.”

Mr McKnight had multiple injuries to his torso, upper body and legs, consistent with a beating using the whip end of the riding crop while he was “secured or immobile” in a chair, according to Dr Rogers.

“He [Mr McKnight] had also been beaten, kicked and stamped on over and over again,” said Mr Cray. This resulted in broken bones, including the rib fractures and fractured skull, the court heard.

Mr Cray continued: "He had also been punched, kicked and stamped on over and over again.

"Those blunt impacts were hard enough to break many of Lee’s bones...

"We suggest, that the injuries that Lee received are the injuries you expect when someone is overcome by more than one attacker and then subjected to a sustained attack.

"It will be for you [the jurors] to judge, but we suggest the injuries look like he was tortured: punched, kicked, stamped on; struck repeatedly with the head and stem of a whip while he was defenceless and unable to resist.

"Then, his broken body was wrapped in curtains, driven in the pick-up truck and dumped in the River Caldew.”

The barrister outlined what the prosecution say were the respective roles of each of the six defendants.

The prosecution case is that 26-year-old Jamie Davison - the man to whom Mr McKnight owed a drugs debt - was the organiser of the violence. “It was his debt and his plan,” said Mr Cray.

Mr Cray added: "Davison needed to get hold of Lee. He knew Lee was  avoiding him so he had to use someone else to trick Lee into coming out of hiding."

Coral Edgar, 26, who was on friendly terms with Mr McKnight, was allegedly the “bait’ used to lure Mr McKnight to her home on the morning of July 24, say the prosecution.

Arron Graham, 25, and Jamie Lee Roberts, 18, were “the extra muscle” recruited by Davison that day, said Mr Cray.

The prosecution say Coral Edgar's mother, 46-year-old Carol Edgar, and Paul Roberts, the 51-year-old father of Jamie Lee Roberts, were helpers and back-up for the three attackers.

The barrister said that Davison admitted he was after Mr McKnight and had wanted to “enforce” the debt.

"His case is likely to be that he asked Arron Graham and Jamie Lee Roberts to assist him as muscle, but that Jamie Lee Roberts went well over the top," continued Mr Cray.

"He says that Jamie Lee Roberts and his father Paul, took Lee away in the Navara [pick-up]."

Graham denied being at the terraced house in Charles Street that morning, or being involved in the violence.

Jamie Lee Roberts admits that he was recruited by Davison to help "enforce" the debt but he claims it was the other man - Davison - who “went over the top” in attacking Mr McKnight.

Coral Edgar admits inviting Lee McKnight to her home that day, saying she did so so she could buy drugs from him.

She claims that she was “terrified” of the violence inflicted on Lee McKnight and had ‘hid’ in another room while it was happening.

Carol Edgar says that she had returned to her home at 3.45am on July 24 – but she was “oblivious” to what happened in her house because she had taken a cocktail of hard drugs.

Paul Roberts admits going to Charles Street to help his son but he claims that, after seeing Mr McKnight badly injured but still alive, he told the others to get help for him. 

He denies having anything to do with dumping Lee McKnight in the river.

Concluding his opening address, Mr Cray added: "Put simply, we say that what the first six defendants did shows that they cared not one jot for Lee’s life.

"The evidence proves that they all shared the intent to do Lee really serious harm and therefore they are guilty of his murder."

The trial is expected to last for up to eight weeks.