THREE men and a woman filmed themselves attacking a young man in a “sexually motivated and sadistic killing”, a court heard.

Shaun Fitton, aged 26, suffered massive internal injuries when he was subjected to an “horrific” attack with the handle of a mop. Mr Fitton, who used to live in Westhoughton with his family, was also stripped naked and covered in white paint before being hauled around the streets in a wheelie bin, Liverpool Crown Court was told.

Rebecca Birt, aged 22, her boyfriend, Shaun Beatty, aged 20, of West Bank Street; Owen Skeat, aged 23, of Bowling Green Row, and Michael Gerrard, aged 22, of Rivington Street, all Atherton, deny Mr Fitton’s murder on August 30 last year.

Prosecutor Neil Flewitt QC said the attack was launched after Mr Fitton made drunken sexual advances towards Birt, a mother-of-one, at her home in West Bank Street. Jurors covered their mouths and recoiled in horror as they were shown a home video recording of the “particularly unpleasant” attack.

Although the recording did not show the face of the attacker, Mr Flewitt said evidence will show that it was Birt who was filming the incident.

He added that the voices of other defendants could be heard in the background laughing and shouting words of encouragement.

The result of the attack on Mr Fitton was massive internal injuries which, Mr Flewitt said, coupled with head injuries sustained in the attack, caused his death.

Mr Flewitt told the seven women and five men that the attack came to an end when neighbours saw Mr Fitton being dragged around the streets in the wheelie bin, and called police.

Officers eventually found him lying unconscious in the back garden of Birt’s house and Birt, Skeat and Gerrard were arrested on suspicion of assault.

Beatty fled, Mr Flewitt said, but handed himself in to police the following day.

Shortly afterwards, Mr Fitton died and the four were re-arrested on suspicion of murder.

In interviews, all four denied sexual assault.

Beatty told police it was Skeat who attacked Mr Fitton with the mop, but Skeat claimed he knew nothing about it.

Both men said their recollections of that night had been affected by taking anti-depressants.

Birt said she was in another room with Gerrard when the attack took place.

Mr Flewitt said: “None of the defendants mentioned, when they were interviewed, that Rebecca Birt had made a video recording of what had happened.

“No doubt they had hoped that the damning footage had been wiped from the camera and would never be recovered.

“This was, we suggest, a sexually motivated and sadistic killing.

“As you can see from the video footage, Shaun Fitton was totally defenceless when he was in the company of the defendants.

“And what they did to him was, you might think, intended to humiliate and punish him for what he had said earlier.

“They are all responsible for what was done to Shaun Fitton either because they inflicted the injuries themselves or because they assisted and encouraged those who inflicted the injuries.”

The trial continues.