A jockey last night began a life sentence for beating and throttling a former promising Newcastle United footballer to death.

Christopher Martin McGrath turned into "a monster" while high on Ecstasy and alcohol, smashing Gary Walton in the face with a brick, then choking him, Teesside Crown Court was told.

The 23-year-old admitted murdering 37-year-old Mr Walton, who was a father-of-two.

McGrath, a respected jump jockey, based at the Masons Racing Stables, Brancepeth Manor Farm, had initially denied murder, but changed his plea on the eve of the trial.

The savage attack, which left Mr Walton unrecognisable, happened at the back of the Miners Arms in Coundon, County Durham, in the early hours of July 17.

The court was told McGrath had taken two Ecstasy tablets and had been drinking when he launched the violent attack on the window cleaner.

An argument had arisen after Mr Walton, of Collingwood Street, Coundon, had poked fun at the jockey for being Irish.

A fight started and, once McGrath had 6ft 1ins Walton on the floor, he "lost control" and began hitting him with the brick.

Paul Batty, prosecuting, said Mr Walton had also been strangled with such force a cartilage in his neck had broken.

McGrath then made two "chilling" phone calls to a friend after the murder, begging him for help as he panicked over what he had done.

McGrath, known as Christy, phoned his friend David McCaskill pleading with him to collect him from the pub. The tapes, played in court, said: "I'm in serious trouble. I'm begging you with all my life, please come and pick me up."

In the second message a few minutes later he said: "I'm frightened for my life. I'm after a big favour, please pick me up coz if the cops see me, I'm covered in blood man."

Mr McCaskill eventually picked him up with another friend, David Walling, and drove him back to the stables where his blood-soaked clothes were burned.

But Mr McCaskill tipped off the police the following day and McGrath was arrested.

Aidan Marron, mitigating, said McGrath's explosion of violence had been completely out of character. "The world was his oyster. He was a civilised young man with a certain sporting prowess who was affable, friendly and well-liked," he said.

The fight had arisen from a reference to the IRA and "the Irish not being welcome here."

"As soon as he did it and came to, he said 'God what have I done'," added Mr Marron.

Jailing him, Justice Anne Rafferty said: "Quite why you turned from a decent and well regarded individual into the monster you must have resembled is a mystery."

Mr Walton, who spent three years at St James's Park, was voted Newcastle's most promising young striker, with 39 goals for the reserves at the age of 17.

McGrath's brother Larry, 27, of Brancepeth, said after the case: "It's been really hard for the last six months, but however bad we feel it must be awful for the other family.

"It was a night where something went drastically wrong."

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