Fibres found on the body and T-shirt of a Sudbury man who was allegedly beaten to death in his flat were identical to fibres in clothing worn by two men accused of murdering him, a court has been told.

Forensic scientist Ray Palmer told a jury at Ipswich Crown Court that Sellotape lifts had been taken from a T-shirt and the body of 45-year-old Patrick Baker and these had been compared with fibres in a Bench top worn by one of his alleged attackers and a Fila tracksuit top similar to one worn by the other.

He said a number of microscopic tests were carried out on the fibres as well as a chemical analysis of the dye and these had led him to conclude that 31-year-old Simon Barnes and Neil Broomfield, 33, had been in “recent direct contact” with Mr Baker before his death.

Barnes, of Raydon Way, Great Cornard, and Neil Broomfield, of Ballingdon Street, Sudbury, both deny murdering Mr Baker at his flat in Blackfriars, Sudbury, on April 10 last year.

It has been alleged that Barnes and Broomfield spent the evening of April 9 together in pubs in Sudbury before allegedly going to Mr Baker’s flat in the early hours of April 10 and beating him to death.

The court has heard that Mr Baker, who was a drug user and had liver and lung disease, suffered multiple injuries including ten broken ribs and fractures to his nose and lower face.

David Holborn, prosecuting, told the court that on CCTV footage recorded on the night of the alleged killing Barnes could be seen wearing a Bench top while Broomfield was wearing a Fila tracksuit top.

He said that when Barnes was arrested several days after Mr Baker’s body was found the Bench top appeared to have been recently washed and had been left out to dry in Barnes’ bedroom.

Mr Holborn said the Fila top worn by Broomfield had never been recovered but police had been able to identify the make and model of the top after making inquiries with the manufacturer and an identical top had been provided to Mr Palmer to examine.

The trial continues today.