VIOLENT thugs beat a man to death, then stole his Giro cheque and Playstation, a court heard.

The body of Michael Lingings, aged 35, was found bound with rope at his bedsit flat in Chorley Old Road, Bolton.

Liverpool Crown Court was told that Mr Lingings was the victim of a sustained and vicious attack.

William McCooke, aged 23, of The Pungle, Westhoughton, and Roy Hardman, aged 36, of Chorley Old Road, plead not guilty to his murder.

McCooke also denies obtaining cash by deception from a post office by pretending to be Mr Lingings, and attempting to pervert the course of justice. Hardman also denies burglary.

Howard Bentham, prosecuting, said: "This is a tale of two men preying upon a third, dishonestly cashing money intended for him, then killing him and stealing what small items of value he possessed.

"Mr Lingings was the victim of a sustained and vicious attack.

"There had been a history of dispute between Michael Lingings and Roy Hardman, particularly relating to the fact that Michael Lingings used to play music very loudly at unsocial hours and an argument got quite bitter."

The court heard that Mr Lingings was found by police on the floor of his blood-splattered bedsit on April 24 after they were alerted by his landlord, who had been unable to contact him.

The prosecution alleges McCooke and Hardman killed Mr Lingings between April 18 and 22, stole property including a Playstation and games, a DVD player and a mobile phone.

McCooke then attempted to pervert the course of justice by setting fire to items in the flat to destroy evidence, the prosecution claims.

The jury was told that Mr Lingings, who was unemployed at the time of his death, had last been seen alive five days before his body was found.

When police were called to the flat, they found the body of Mr Lingings. His hands had been elaborately tied together behind his back and he had suffered multiple wounds to his forehead and scalp caused by a blunt object.

The court heard that Hardman, who lived in the same flats as Mr Lingings, had "easy and immediate access to the delivery of post".

In the weeks before Mr Lingings' death, an associate of Hardman had cashed Giros in the victim's name worth almost £600.

(Proceeding)