Dog owner, 43, tells murder trial he punched neighbour, 36, but did not intend to kill him

A dog owner has told a murder trial he did not intend to kill a neighbour whom he punched during a row over his barking Staffie.

Raymond Burrell, 43, left disabled Matthew Sheehan, 36, in a 'vegetative state.' after complaining about his pet barking at night.

Mr Sheehan, who walked with a stick, had previously rowed with Mr Burrell's Staffordshire bull terrier, whom he claimed he could hear barking from across the street.

Raymond Burrell attacked neighbour Matthew Sheehan after Mr Sheehan complained about one Mr Burrell's five Staffordshire Bull Terrier dogs barking in the middle of the night

The murder trial heard the neighbours had a series of rows before it erupted into violence.

Burrell was jailed for life after he was found guilty of grievous bodily harm in 2016, but a year later Mr Sheehan died, prompting this latest trial.

Burrell pleaded guilty to manslaughter but he denies murdering Mr Sheehan.

He told how the first row flared six months earlier over one of his five dogs barking in their street at Adamsdown, Cardiff.

Burrell said: 'I could see him shaking the gate and screaming at the dog. I shouted at him: 'What are you doing?' He was going on about my dog.

'He was standing there, looking really angry, saying: 'Your dog.' I was like: 'I don't want trouble.'

Burrell later decided to confront Mr Sheehan after a series of complaints about the barking dogs.

He said: 'I went round to see Matthew. I wanted to tell him to stop coming to the house. I banged on the door to get his attention.'

Matthew Sheehan was left in a 'vegetative state' and died two years after being attacked on his doorstep in Cardiff in 2015

Burrell said Mr Sheehan opened the door, adding: 'He started shouting. He wasn't happy about me banging on his door.

'He shouted he'd been up all night. Then he grabbed hold of me, grabbed the front of my jacket. I grabbed him. He punched me in the face.'

David Elias QC, defending, asked: 'What did you do?' Burrell replied: 'I punched him straight back.'

He told the court there was no violence inside Mr Sheehan's property, but they carried on 'punching each other' outside.

The defendant added: 'I fell over. He fell over as well. I heard a smack. I believe that was him hitting the kerb.'

He told the court he punched Mr Sheehan in the head, but said he could not remember how many times he punched him.

Prosecutor Michael Jones QC told the jury how how Burrell stormed over to his house to carry out the brutal attack

Mr Jones said: 'He deliberately, brutally, and repeatedly attacked him causing him catastrophic and life-changing injuries that ultimately led to his death.'

Burrell was found guilty of inflicting grievous bodily harm in 2016 and jailed for life.

But Mr Sheehan died a year after the court case - and Burrell was later charged with his murder.

Mr Sheehan, who was living independently in community housing, had cerebellar ataxia, which affected the part of his brain controlling eye movements, speech, and limb movements.

His family said he needed a crutch to walk and had to concentrate on his balance to stay on his feet. He also required glasses to see clearly.

But the court heard a friend went to see Mr Sheehan the day before - and he seemed 'frightened' following a dispute with a neighbour.

The court heard Mr Sheehan told his friend a neighbour's dog was barking and keeping him awake - so he told the dog to 'shut up' but the neighbour confronted him.

Two other neighbours who lived upstairs described hearing someone kicking a door at around 7am on September 1, 2015. They heard a man shouting and swearing.

The neighbours described banging, kicking, and shouting and heard Mr Sheehan's voice screaming: 'Help.'

Neighbours described banging, kicking, and shouting and heard Mr Sheehan's voice screaming: 'Help,' during the attack in 2015

They also heard 'groaning' noises like someone was in pain.

One of the neighbours called 999 and they described the defendant walking off and then coming back to the flat.

They described hearing more swearing and kicking but the second time there were no groans or cries for help and everything went silent.

Mr Sheehan - who was disabled and needed a cane to walk - was heard shouting: 'Shut up' and made repeated complaints about the late night noise.

Burrell lived across the street to Mr Sheehan in Adamsdown, Cardiff.

The jury at Cardiff Crown Court found Burrell guilty of inflicting grievous bodily harm.

But Mr Sheehan died on on November 9 last year at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff.

Burrell, of HM Lowdham Grange Prison in Nottinghamshire, admits manslaughter but denies murder. The trial continues at Newport Crown Court.