A WITNESS at the violence which left a man dead has told a murder trial jury: "He was being kicked from head to toe."

Samantha Brown gave evidence at Teesside Crown Court on the fifth day of the prosecution case against seven teenagers.

She told how she saw Shane Tunney, 24, and Anthony Kirk, 21, being attacked outside of her home in Norton, near Stockton.

Mr Tunney died of head injuries a month after he was assaulted in the early hours of June 27 last year. His friend survived despite being hit with a metal pole.

Brandon Pitt, Kieron Harry Davis, his cousin Kearan Terry Davis and Jake Douglas, all 18, and from Stockton, deny charges of murder a attempted grievous bodily harm with intent.

Three others - two aged 17 and one of 16, none of whom can be identified because of their ages - have also pleaded not guilty to the same charges.

Miss Brown told the court she saw a group of seven or eight young lads fighting with two men she now knows to be Mr Tunney and his friend Mr Kirk.

The jury was told that most if not all of the bigger group were wearing tracksuits or hoodies, and most had their hoods pulled up.

Miss Brown said Mr Tunney was punched five to seven times in the face by one of the teenagers, was knocked to the ground several times, before the others joined in.

"He was kicked from head to toe," she recalled. "His head, body, legs. They were kicking him all over his body.

"It was pretty much all of them that were punching him . . . I think they realised the severity of what they had done and they ran off.

"I thought something was really wrong."

The trial continues.