A labourer beat a man with a toaster, slashed his buttock with a knife and set fire to his flat before leaving him to die, a court heard on Wednesday.

Kamil Radkiewicz, 27, followed his victim home to his flat in Castelnau, Barnes, on November 30 last year after they met on a bus that morning, before trying to kill him.

The victim, who said he has no recollection of his ordeal, suffered a broken nose and jaw as well as burns to the inside of the mouth, haemorrhaging inside his eyes, a fractured skull and contusions to the brain.

More about the victim's horrific ordeal here.

He also had burns to the palms on his hands and a slash to his left buttock. A knife with the victim’s blood on it was retrieved outside the flat.

He was found the following day by a work friend who had to force open the door to get in.

He saw his colleague lying on the bed in the badly-burned flat.

There was blood on the floor and walls. A blood-stained toaster was also found, Hannah Duncan, prosecuting, told Kingston Crown Court.

A bottle of lubricant and a tissue with Radkiewicz’s semen on it were found in the sitting room. His DNA was also found on drinking glasses and on a bottle of vodka, Ms Duncan told the court.

Radkiewicz tried to burn the glasses with a Sainsbury’s receipt to conceal his fingerprints, the court heard.

Ms Duncan said: “This was an attempt to hide evidence that linked him to the scene.”

Radkiewicz left the flat in the victim’s clothes and left his underpants behind.

Ms Duncan conceded it was difficult to say with any certainty what Radkiewicz’s motive was.

She said: “There was a sexual encounter of some sort and that can be the only explanation of what transpired.

“Whether that means it was a hate crime that cannot be said.

“There is no evidence the defendant himself is homosexual.”

Richmond and Twickenham Times:

Radkiewiczw will be sentenced at Kingston Crown Court

The victim, who had moved to London in September 2014 with his male partner of eight years, was “almost incomprehensible” when he was found and was told later paramedics did not expect him to survive.

His partner was in America for business at the time of the brutal attack.

Radkiewicz, of Lessness Road, in Morden, pleaded guilty to attempted murder on August 19.

He has previous convictions in Poland for battery and burglary, but no convictions in this country.

Judge Peter Lodder QC said he was not satisfied he had enough information to sentence Radkiewicz, who was also charged with arson, until psychiatric and pre-sentence reports were prepared in order to determine whether a life sentence may be appropriate.

Judge Lodder said: “This is an appalling and very violent attack.

“The consequences for the victim were life-threatening.

“The court has to at least make some sort of inquiry as to what motivated [Radkiewicz] into behaving in such an extreme way.”

Radkiewicz will appear in court again on November 2.