A jury will continue to consider on Monday whether two Suffolk men are guilty of murder, after failing to reach a unanimous verdict at Ipswich Crown Court today.

The courts awaits a decision in the trail of Simon Barnes, 31, of Raydon Way, Great Cornard and Neil Broomfield, 33, of Ballingdon Street, Ipswich.

Both have denied murdering 45-year-old Patrick Baker at his flat in Blackfriars, Sudbury on April 10 last year.

It has been alleged that, on April 9 last year, the two defendants spent the evening together in Sudbury pubs before going to Mr Baker’s flat in the early hours of the following morning and beating him to death.

The jury has heard that Mr Baker was found lying face down in a pool of blood after a worried neighbour contacted the police and officers forced open his front door.

David Holborn, prosecuting, said a post mortem examination found Mr Baker, who was a drug user and suffered from liver and lung disease, had suffered ten broken ribs and fractures to his nose and lower face.

Experts called by the prosecution during the trial have claimed that the defendants could be linked to the alleged murder by DNA and fibre evidence.

Neither Barnes, nor Broomfield, gave evidence during the three-week trial.