A woman watched her mother’s doorbell camera in shock as a man smashed a window and broke in before “brutally” killing her, a court heard.

Dean Mears, 34, from Bodelwyddan Avenue, Kinmel Bay, Conwy county, spent just two minutes inside the property in Rhyl, Denbighshire, last October.

But prosecutors say during this time, 69-year-old Catherine Flynn suffered “severe injuries” to her face and brain that left her with “no chance” of survival.

Mr Mears admitted manslaughter, denying murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility, and is on trial at Caernarfon Crown Court.

Jurors heard how Ms Flynn, who lived in the property on Cefndy Road alone, was dragged from her bed in the attack.

She was taken to hospital after suffering extensive facial trauma and multiple fractures, where she died the following day.

Prosecutor Andrew Jones described how she had suffered serious health and mobility issues, and used a stairlift and a Zimmer frame inside her house.

Mr Jones described the victim’s daughter Natasha Flynn receiving an electronic notification from the house’s ring doorbell camera at 22:27 on 24 October.

She heard glass shattering which was the defendant breaking the downstairs window, the prosecutor said.

Ms Flynn watched as he remained inside her mother’s house for under two minutes before jumping out of the window.

In that time, the prosecutor said, Catherine Flynn had suffered “severe injuries” to her face and brain that left her with “no chance” of survival.

He added the pathologist who carried out the post-mortem examination likened the injuries Ms Flynn suffered to those seen in motor vehicle collisions.

They were caused by “repeated, severe blunt force trauma that shattered all her facial bones”, he added.

Mr Jones said the defendant had left Ms Flynn “dying on the floor of her own bedroom”.

He added that there was “no dispute” that Mr Mears caused the injuries to Mrs Flynn and that he had accepted responsibility for her death.

But there are disputes that he had “any intention to kill or cause any serious bodily injury to her”, he said.

He told the jury that during the case they would hear evidence from psychiatrists about the defendant’s mental condition at the time, and the “potential impact on his state of mind and actions”.

He added that it was the Crown’s case that Mr Mears knew “exactly what he was doing and what he had done”, adding that he set about trying to “cover his tracks” by disposing of clothing that he knew was covered in Ms Flynn’s blood.

Mr Mears told people he was close to that he had done “something very bad” and that he had “hurt someone”, Mr Jones added.

The jury was shown the ring doorbell footage from Ms Flynn’s house, in which she is heard begging not to be hurt, with the defendant repeatedly asking “where are the keys?”.

There are also 15 thuds which the prosecution said are the sounds of Ms Flynn being attacked.

The jury was told it would hear evidence about the defendant’s use of drugs that day – he had used ketamine, said Mr Jones, as well as cannabis and cocaine which was detected in his urine.

He was arrested just after 03:00 GMT in the early hours of October 25 at his grandmother’s house in West Kimnel Bay.

Defence barrister Richard Pratt said there would be “little challenge to the evidence” the jury would hear.

He added that Mr Mears had killed Catherine Flynn “brutally”, but said they would endeavour to prove that the defence of diminished responsibility applies.

Evidence of the defendant’s mental condition would be part of the defence case, he added.

The trial, which is expected to last just over three weeks, continues.