A man died after he was booted with the force of a "David Beckham freekick" and stamped on during a vicious gang attack, a court has been told.

Matthew Heading was kicked up to 40 times by five men following a row in a Brighton shop minutes earlier, prosecutors at Hove Crown Court said.

One of the attackers jumped and landed on the 41-year-old's head with both feet, it was alleged.

Mr Heading died two days later. Five men deny his murder.

Christine Laing QC, prosecuting, said the incident took place outside Glenwood Lodge hostel in Grand Parade on June 21 last year.

Mr Heading, a street drinker and heroin addict, had been involved in a row with pregnant m o t h e r - o f - o n e Cherise Budgen.

She claimed he and Joe Burton, another street drinker, pushed in front of her in a mobile phone shop in London Road.

She left but felt threatened when the men came out of the shop behind her and she called her brother Joe Budgen, who was playing football nearby, the court was told.

Miss Laing said Budgen and his friend Oliver McNulty arrived and followed the two men to Grand Parade.

They were joined by Adam Todd and Paul Hamlet, with Martin Keating arriving as they got to Glenwood Lodge. Mr Burton later told police he heard people running behind them and was then punched from behind.

Miss Laing said witnesses would describe how Mr Heading, who had a distinctive Mohican haircut, was then attacked. She said: "Louise Taylor, who was driving past the scene, saw a male kicking another man on the ground.

"She said, I could see his whole body going for it, like he was trying to kick him up the road. It was like a proper free kick, like when Beckham kicks into the back of the net. It was a violent kicking'."

Miss Laing said van driver Andrew Woodcock saw Budgen jump and dropkick the victim from behind.

The force of the blow knocked Mr Heading to the ground and sent him sliding 5ft along the pavement.

Miss Laing said: "Keating then came up and kicked Mr Heading with ten to 15 short kicks, with a lot of energy behind them.

"Budgen appeared to put his hand on Keating's shoulder to give himself leverage and jumped up in the air.

"He landed with a lot of force with both feet on the right side of Mr Heading's head and slid off to the side.

"Mr Woodcock opened his van door and shouted at them to cut it out.

"Budgen took over with a further 20 kicks. He then jumped in the air and stamped on Mr Heading's head again, with both feet."

Mr Woodcock later said he was amazed to see the victim get up.

Miss Laing went on: "Mr Heading was taken to hospital on June 21. He died two days later as a result of a ruptured spleen. He had been discharged from hospital when the danger he was in had not been appreciated.

"He was found lying dead in his room at Glenwood Lodge at about 9.40am on June 23. It is the Crown's case that the defendants were responsible together for the attacks on Matthew Heading and Joe Burton."

The court heard that Todd received a phone call from his brother Stephen Briggs who was an inmate at Lewes Prison a week after Mr Heading died.

Miss Laing said they appeared to discuss the attack. Todd allegedly told Briggs: "That thing along the road you were worried about, that might be me.

"Me and two other kiddies battered him and his mate the other day."

Briggs is alleged to have said that he had heard that: "He's brown bread from internal injuries."

Todd, 25, of Ropetackle Walk, Shoreham; Budgen, 19, of Ann Street, Brighton; Keating, 28, of Taunton Road, Brighton; Hamlet, 32, of Falcoln Court, Whitehawk, Brighton; and McNulty, 18, of New England Street, Brighton, all deny murder. They also deny causing actual bodily harm to Joe Burton.

The trial continues.