Tommy Kimpton, 18, of Bohelland Road, Penryn, admits the manslaughter of 17-year-old Ben Williams but denies murdering him in May 2004.

He said did not he remember anything about the incident because he had been drinking and smoking cannabis.

The prosecution said he had a history of violent behaviour.

Mr Kimpton said he had no recollection of the attack itself but told Truro Crown Court that he had been teased and bullied by Ben Williams and other boys about his weight and his spectacles.

On 20 May 2004, the pair had been drinking at a pub in Penryn, before Mr Kimpton invited Ben back to the house he shared with his mother in the town.

Mr Kimpton said he remembered Ben laughing and then nothing else until after he found his body.

He told the court he had been drinking heavily and smoking cannabis and that might have explained why he attacked him and why he could not remember anything.

'Give my own life'

Prosecutors said Mr Kimpton smashed the cue over Ben Williams' head 12 times with "considerable force".

Mr Kimpton told the court he wished he could "do anything to bring Ben back".

He said: "If it meant giving my own life, I would that."

The prosecution said Mr Kimpton had been advised by a doctor not to drink, that he had a history of violent behaviour and that "lying is second nature to him".