A MAN who was the victim of a fatal attack near his Jaywick home had escaped from prison twice after he was jailed for drug smuggling, it has emerged.

John Smith died after he was punched, kicked, stabbed and hit by a car in Broadway on July 11 last year.

The trial of four people accused of murdering him this week heard Mr Smith, 58, had received a sentence for smuggling class A drugs.

A jury at Chelmsford Crown Court was told he was jailed for seven years at Snaresbrook Crown Court in August 2000.

He escaped the following September and while still on the run was stopped in London by police who found CS gas cans in his car.

Mr Smith was returned to prison and received 12 months consecutive to the seven years for the CS gas charge.

But the court heard he escaped again in April 2007 and a day later harassed a former partner with abusive calls and texts.

He was caught and returned to prison in June 2007 and received a conditional discharge for the harassment matter.

The jury was told Mr Smith was released from prison on licence in 2008.

He was still on licence due to expire in February 2011 at the time of his alleged murder.

Jason Bethell, 31, of Broadway, Jaywick, Graham Wheatley, 42, of Golf Green Road, Jaywick, Laurence Wheatley, 45, of Sea Way, Jaywick, and Claire Saunders, 31, of Riley Avenue, Jaywick, all deny murder.

Saunders denies another charge of assisting an offender.

They all told police the killing was nothing to do with them.

The prosecution has alleged Mr Smith died in a revenge attack after he threatened former partner Deana McKee and Laurence Wheatley.

The following day, Wheatley and the others are alleged to have sought out Mr Smith and attacked him.

He died in hospital two months later.

The jury of six men and three women travelled to Jaywick today to view the scene of the alleged murder.

The trial continues.