house, a court heard yesterday.

Michael Dean Eberly and Michael Brian Pitcher left Beatrice Simons for dead during a break-in on Victoria Row, Sandys, in December 1997, the Supreme Court heard.

Both men, who lived on the same road, admitted burglary but denied murder on day one of their trial.

And Crown counsel Peter Eccles said each blamed the other for inflicting the blows which killed widow Mrs. Simons, who died days later.

Mr. Eccles said the pensioner was beaten with a two-inch square chunk of cedar wood during the burglary.

He added: "Something went wrong. And as a result of something going wrong in that burglary, the person who lived in that house was beaten.

"Beaten in her bed, beaten in the doorway of her bedroom ... severely injured, grievously injured.'' Opening the prosecution's case, Mr. Eccles said both men should be found guilty even if it was proved only one of them dished out the beating.

He said: "Proof of either is proof of both because they both entered into a common criminal enterprise.'' Mrs. Simons, a seamstress at the Belmont Hotel, was still alive -- covered in blood and holding a phone -- when Police arrived on the scene minutes after the attack.

But she died in hospital five days later, having suffered six deep cuts to the head, defensive wounds, a broken left hand and heavy bruising to the chest and breast.

Mr. Eccles, describing the crime as "ugly and unpleasant'', talked the ten-man, two-woman jury through a series of gruesome pictures showing Mrs.

Simons' injuries.

`Botched' robbery ended with killing He explained how Eberly, 35, and Pitcher, 32, each accused the other of beating Mrs. Simons to death during the burglary.

And he said the pair hatched the break-in plot earlier in the evening, after smoking crack cocaine as they watched American football on TV at Eberly's house.

Mr. Eccles said the men broke in through the kitchen at the back of the house to find money to buy drugs.

And he said Eberly told Police he heard screaming when Pitcher went upstairs and began struggling with Mrs. Simons.

The lawyer said Eberly claimed he grabbed Pitcher and said: "Let's get out of here,'' before the pair went back to his house to sleep.

But he said Pitcher's Police statement fingered Eberly as the main attacker.

Pitcher claimed Eberly, known as "Mikey'', opted to "knock her out'' so he could turn the bedroom lights on, said Mr. Eccles.

And he said Pitcher claimed he blocked his own ears because Mrs. Simons' screams were so loud.

Mr. Eccles added: "Pitcher told Police he was left-handed. Blood stains in the bedroom indicate the attacker was left-handed.'' Det. Con. Theo Providence, a forensic expert, explained to the jury that Eberly's footprints were found in the kitchen.

And Mrs. Simons' next-door neighbour Chanel Bean described how she was woken up by the victim's screams.

"She was screaming and crying and I could hear her say: `Check the pots downstairs','' she added.

Mark Pettingill, representing Eberly, asked Ms Bean: "You didn't hear anyone else speak?'' "I could hear the sounds of her being hit,'' she said. "I was woken by her screaming.'' Saul Froomkin, representing Pitcher, asked: "Did you hear a male voice saying: `Let's get out of here'?'' "No I didn't,'' she said.

The case continues.