SEMLEY man Lennie Adams is likely to have died from a combination of blows to the head and strangulation, a court heard today.

The jury at the murder trial heard evidence from pathologists Dr Amanda Jeffery and Professor Seth Love at Winchester Crown Court, who said Mr Adams, 43, had "chop" wounds to the back of his head, his left shoulder and his leg.

The body of the 43-year-old was found in a field about a mile and a half from his Station Road home on October 15 last year.

Examinations showed Mr Adams' skull and shoulder blade had been chipped by the weapon used to attack him and that his body was covered with cuts, bruises and grazing, especially on his head and face.

He also had fractured cartilage at the front of his neck and bruising which suggested he had been strangled.

Dr Jeffery said: "There is certainly evidence of a blunt force trauma and compression of the neck but there are no specific features to help work out exactly what that pressure has consisted of."

Mr Adams also had wounds on his arms and fingers which could be defensive injuries sustained as he tried to fight off his attackers.

Christopher Charles, 48, his girlfriend Charlie Louise Chase, 25, and Paul Chambers, 49, all of Station Road, deny murdering Mr Adams.

The case continues.