A Gravesend man was throttled to death by his cousin before being dumped half-naked into a bath of water, it has been alleged.

Danny Wallis died at his home in Gravesham Court in May last year – but Travis Smith, who denies murder, waited a day to report the killing to police, a jury has heard.

Smith, 24, of no fixed address, later said in a defence statement that he had been acting in self-defence during a punch-up.

But Prosecutor James Mulholland QC told a jury at Canterbury Crown Court today: “It is our case he did not act in self-defence; rather, he throttled DannyWallis in anger during a violent attack.

"It is the prosecution case that he is guilty of murder.”

The jury was told that 29-year-old Mr Wallis had accidentally taken a drugs overdose in July 2008 and had been rushed to Darent Valley Hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest.

Mr Mulholland added that Mr Wallis moved to a flat in Gravesham Court but needed carers twice a week to help him.

“Those close to Mr Wallis noticed he became very withdrawn and lacked confidence, spending lots of time at his flat.

“It was noticeable that Danny was a lot slower than he had been, had less strength than before and was much less street-wise. He was clearly a vulnerable individual.”

The prosecutor said his eighth-floor flat began to attract “waifs and strays” and neighbours noticed men and women arguing, loud music being played and acts of vandalism which were commonplace.

Mr Mulholland added: “The situation seems to have been out of control, although it appears clear that Danny liked to have people around the place.

“But there is no doubt that several people took advantage of Danny, using his flat as a drop-in either to take drugs or drink large amounts of alcohol or both.”

He told the jury that Mr Wallis and his cousin had a reasonable relationship before the overdose.

“That changed and Travis became more involved with Danny in a negative way.

“People who knew them both noted that Travis was aggressive towards him and used to play cruel tricks on him while treating the flat as his own.”

The prosecutor alleged on one occasion Smith urinated in a glass of white wine and just a month before the killing had turned up at the flat and began kicking the door until it was opened.

On May 31, Smith made a 999 call to the ambulance service claiming to have been in a fight with Mr Wallis the previous evening and had killed him.

“He also phoned three members of his family earlier that day and told them he had killed him. Police went to the flat and found Mr Wallis.

“His death had been caused by a compression of the neck, in other words, his throat had been squeezed in such a way as to choke or suffocate him.

“The compression was of such force that a bone within the larynx was fractured and he had also been beaten around the head and face, “ the prosecutor alleged.

Mr Wallis, wearing only his boxer shorts and socks, was then submerged in a bathtub of water which the prosecution allege was done to try to “disguise the manner of his cousin’s death”.

Smith is then caught by CCTV leaving the flat wearing his dead cousin’s “dark puffa jacket” with the hood pulled over his head.