THE trial of Richard Markham, accused of killing a friend by hitting him on the head with a hammer and then dismembering the body, is nearing the end.

Mr Justice Morland was today due to sum-up the case to the jury of five men and seven women, with the jurors expected to retire this afternoon to consider its verdict on Markham, who denies murder.

Markham, 28, has admitted he hit 25-year-old Tristian Lovelock on the head twice with a hammer on May 30 last year, but has told the jury he acted in self-defence after Mr Lovelock threatened him with a bayonet.

He said he "completely flipped" when he realised what he had done, and this led him to cut up the body.

Yesterday, the jury at Winchester Crown Court heard closing speeches from the prosecution and defence counsel in the trial, which has lasted for just over two weeks.

In his evidence, Markham said he had hit Mr Lovelock in the face with the hammer and Mr Lovelock, who had spent the evening drinking with him, fell back on a sofa.

Markham said Mr Lovelock began to get up again and, thinking he was going to stab him, Markham hit him again on the top of his head.

The defendant said: "I was in a panic. Then my panic turned to rage at the fact that I'd been put into this position. There was a dead person in my house. Tristian had tried to stab me, he was dead and I didn't know what to do.

"I just completely flipped - I just lost it. I picked up the hammer again and I hit him on the head and face about fifteenish times."

The effect of him "losing it", said Markham, snowballed and, using a woodsaw and a hacksaw, he dismembered the body. Later he flew out to New York, where he was subsequently arrested.

Defence counsel Michael Bowes QC has told the jury they will have to consider whether Markham was suffering from an abnormality of mind which substantially impaired his responsibility when he killed Mr Lovelock.

The defence has called psychiatrists to say Markham has a personality disorder that substantially impaired his responsibility for the killing.

The last witness to take the stand in the trial was psychiatrist Dr Jim Ormsby, who was called by the prosecution.

He said Markham had a personality disorder. He told the jury: "My own view was that he was a man who had drunk a large amount of alcohol, was intoxicated and the disinhibition from alcohol was a significant factor in the offense."

He added that, when sober, Markham was capable of deciding whether or not to do something.

The case continues