Man punched and kicked during attack

THE body of a severely beaten homeless man was found covered in blood in a derelict warehouse in Oldham, an inquest heard yesterday.

Matthew Alexander Barrett (38) had been living rough for several years when his body was found in the abandoned building in Partington Street in August 2011.

The inquest heard details of a phone call between a 999 operator and Darren McCann, a fellow homeless man, who discovered the body.

Mr McCann (37) — now deceased - described how he found Mr Barrett on the floor of the squat in which the pair had been sleeping intermittently over several days.

At first he believed Mr Barrett was unconscious, but paramedics confirmed he was dead.

Mr McCann had been charged with Mr Barrett’s murder and spent three months in custody before being released after new evidence was found.

Mr Barrett had last been seen at a takeaway in Union Street four days before his body was discovered.

Forensic pathologist Dr Philip Lumb said Mr Barrett had died from multiple injuries to his head, neck and chest. He said the injuries - bruised eyes, fractured ribs, a collapsed lung and bruising to the brain - had been inflicted during a attack involving punches, kicks and stamps. He said the victim would have died within 24 hours of the attack.

Close friend Craig Gartside of Moor Street, Shaw, described Mr Barrett - an alcoholic - as shy and quietly spoken. Mr Barrett had stayed with him after relationships with his own family deteriorated before leaving to “get his life back on track” in the early 1990s. He last saw his friend three months before his death.

The inquest continues.