THE partner of a man who died following a 'brutal' punishment beating has described to a jury how she heard him being hit and threatened while she was speaking to him on the phone.

Karen Nuttall was giving evidence at the trial of five people accused of murdering her partner Ian Bendall on June 13 this year.

Miss Nuttall and Mr Bendall has been living together at a property in Tennyson Road, Farnworth, until about a week before the alleged assault on June 9 this year.

Mr Bendall had moved out of the property and was living with a friend, Gaynor Rothwell, in nearby Masefield Drive.

The prosecution previously told the court how he was forced into a car from this property and driven to an area behind Century Mill, off George Street in Farnworth, where he was given a 'punishment beating' as a result of 'letting down' one of the defendants, Alex Smith.

Smith, also known as Colgan, aged 28, denies murder as do his co-defendants William Coughlan, aged 25 and Kathryn Colgan, aged 24, all of Ramsey Avenue.

Ellis Hampton, aged 19 of Oakfield Avenue, Little Hulton and a 16-year-old boy have also pleaded not guilty to the offence.

The crown states that all five played some part in the seeking out and subsequent assault of Mr Bendall and intended to cause im serious harm or kill him.

On the night of June 8, Miss Nuttall was visited at her home Hampson who was asking where Mr Bendall was.

On June 9 she rang Miss Rothwell and when she did could hear commotion in the background.

Soon after she said she received a phone call from a number she had saved under 'Big Al', an alias of Smith's.

She described how Mr Bendall was in a car and how she could hear him being assaulted.

Miss Nuttall told the court: "It sounded like a slap. Like someone had hit Ian.

"Taff (Mr Bendall) asked for money and I said I didn't have that sort of money.

"I heard him going 'ah I'm sorry'. I heard them saying 'I'm going to do you in'."

Mr Bendall was later dumped near Miss Nuttall's home before an ambulance took him to hospital, the court heard.

The following day he was discharged but when asked by Miss Rothwell if Mr Bendall was home, Miss Nuttall said he was still in hospital as she said she could not trust anyone.

Miss Nuttall admitted taking heroin around the time of the assault to the court.

On June 11 she text Miss Rothwell about how Mr Bendall was in hospital and she could see the imprints on his head 'where they had been kicking and jumping on him'.

Speaking to the court, Miss Nuttall said: "He wasn't in hospital. I could see the imprints. I could see it on his head and his back."

Miss Nuttall is expected to continue giving her evidence today.