The jury in the alleged murder of a Thanet woman has been told they “must have despaired at what the world had come to” after listening to the evidence.

Three brothers have all denied the charge despite revealing they had performed hours of wrestling moves on vulnerable 54-year-old Delyth Andrews.

Ms Andrews died from her injuries which she suffered in November 2015 at her Ramsgate home.

Yesterday, Oliver Saxby QC – defending one of the brothers – told Canterbury Crown Court: “You must have despaired that three young men should treat someone so needing of good treatment so utterly without any mercy – in a word, mindless.

“(It is) the sort of mindless activity that you read about in newspapers and perhaps doubt that it actually happened because it’s so unfathomable and shocking.”

Prosecutor Philip Bennets QC, in his final speech, said the beating that the three gave Ms Andrews was the equivalent to the length the jury had sat each day hearing evidence.

“This was a sustained and vicious attack and, the Crown says, it is inconceivable those three young men intended anything other than to cause her really serious harm.”

He said the bipolar-suffering Ms Andrews had found life alone difficult and had limited social activity – then she met the mother of the Knight brothers, Elaine Morley.

Mr Bennets said: “You may think that Elaine Morley saw this as a golden opportunity. An empty house apart from one easily controlled and vulnerable woman."

He said Ms Andrews had her home “invaded” and items stolen by the brothers.

The prosecutor said the brothers had bullied an extremely vulnerable woman and degraded her by pulling down her pants and laughingly mocking her.

Mr Bennets added: “They had no respect for her. They humiliated her to entertain themselves, trashed her home, belittled and terrorised her.

“They stripped everything that could be converted into cash, taking Ms Andrews’ CDs, DVDs, jewellery and ornaments.”

“To say that the events reflect badly on these three barely scratch the surface..." Defending Oliver Saxby QC

He said Ms Andrews’ nice home had been wrecked, with ripped wallpaper, broken doors and “resembling a drugs den”.

Mr Bennets added: “They killed Ms Andrews...and that is not in dispute. Those injuries she suffered were comparable to someone being in a road traffic collision.”

Mr Saxby, in his final address on behalf of Scott Knight, said: “To say that the events reflect badly on these three barely scratch the surface.

“Their shattered backgrounds, indiscipline, encouragement from others, non-existent parenting, issues aplenty– yes. But none of this made them do what they did. “

The barrister told the jury there were “four harsh realities” that each of them played a willing part and by their own admission, each was as bad as the other, that each of them deserves to be punished and, no doubt, each of them will be punished.

Brothers Scott, 23, Adam,20 and Joshua, 19, Knight , all of Lorina Road, have denied murder.

Joshua and Adam offered guilty pleas to the lesser charge of manslaughter.

Judge Adele Williams is expected to begin her summing up today.