A TEENAGER suspected of murdering his friend threatened to kill him with a hammer days before he was found dead, a jury heard.

Kieran Adey allegedly smashed the window of Mark Shaw’s home and kicked the front door off the hinges after flying into a rage.

Newcastle Crown Court heard the 18-year-old was angry at being locked in the house on Pine Street in Grange Villa, near Chester-le-Street, while his friends went to the shop.

Jurors were told Adey, who lived on nearby Queen Street, and is on trial for murder, had fallen asleep after taking prescription medication.

Simon Cope, who became friends with Mr Shaw around week before his death, was in the house at the time with the 29-year-old and Zoe Warren.

Mr Cope said: “He was kicking off massively. He was going wild. He went absolutely crazy. He was calling me Mark and Zoe all the names under the sun. He punched the window through with his fist. It was scary.”

Neighbours called the police and when officers arrived Mr Shaw initially refused to speak to them but eventually sat in a patrol car outside to talk.

Around an hour later Mr Adey returned, it was said.

Mr Cope said: “He was a million times worse than the first time. He was crazy, absolutely crazy. The veins in his head were bulging.

“He said if either of us grassed to the police he would murder us both.

“He pulled a rusty hammer out of his pants and said: ‘this is my murder weapon.’ “Then put a second pane of glass through.”

Mr Cope said the incident, on December 12, lasted 30-50 minutes but it felt ‘like an eternity’.

Days earlier, when Mr Adey introduced him to Mr Shaw, he had gone around to his house at 6am to continue a drinking session.

Mr Cope said he started abusing Mr Shaw over a £5 debt as soon as they entered his house and threatened to attack him.

The situation was resolved when Mr Cope intervened and said he could knock it off the £25 Mr Adey owed him.

Mr Cope said he quickly formed a close bond with Mr Shaw and spent the next few days at his house with him and his then girlfriend, Zoe Warren.

On Saturday, December 17, at 6pm Mr Shaw’s badly beaten body was found on his bed.

His legs had been tied at the ankles and he suffered around 80 injuries to his head, torso and legs.

He died from a single stab wound.

Miss Warren, of Hexham, Washington, and Mr Adey, of Queen Street, Grange Villa, both deny murder. Miss Warren denies a second charge of witness intimidation.

The jury has been told both admit being there when Mr Shaw was attacked, but Miss Warren claims she did not take part in any violence.

Mr Adey claims he bit and punched him but did not intend serious harm.

The trial continues.