A SLEEPING man was allegedly attacked in his bed by two intruders who accused him of stealing a van.

Matthew Bailey and Kevin Wilkinson allegedly broke into a house in Newton Abbot two days before Christmas in 2019 and set on Nicholas Loveridge.

They accused him of stealing Wilkinson’s works van and Bailey punched him in the face before Wilkinson held him against his bedroom wall, a jury had been told.

The two men are on trial at Exeter Crown Court accused of stealing Mr Loveridge’s mobile phone, £40 cash, and his spectacles.

Bailey, aged 38, of Stemson Avenue, Exeter; and Wilkinson, aged 48, of Andersea Road, Westonzoyland, Somerset, both deny burglary.

Mr Herc Ashworth, prosecuting, said Mr Loveridge was asleep in bed in his room at a house at Sandygate, Newton Abbot, at around 11 pm on December 23, 2019, when three men kicked open the door.

He said Mr Loveridge recognised the two defendants but not the third man, who did not take part in the attack or theft and who urged the other two to leave.

Mr Ashworth said Bailey got on the bed and started punching Mr Loveridge in the face while telling him ‘you’ve got just one chance to tell me the truth’.

Wilkinson then grabbed and crushed Mr Loveridge’s spectacles before demanding to know where his van was. He showed him footage of a man in a hoodie getting into the van and claimed it was Mr Loveridge.

The men then left with Mr Loveridge’s £1,000 iPhone, two £20 notes which had been on his computer table, and the broken remains of his glasses.

Mr Loveridge called 999 from a neighbour’s house and cell site analysis of his mobile phone showed it had moved from Newton Abbot to Exeter at the time of the incident.

In police interviews, both men accepted they had gone to the property but said they had not broken in and were allowed to be there because it is rented by Wilkinson’s brother, who was away at the time. They both denied stealing anything.

The trial continues.