A man accused of being involved in a robbery that led to the fatal stabbing of Mark Noke has previous convictions for burglary, a jury has been told.

Jurors heard how Justin Roach has previously stolen from shops in order to fund his drug habit.

Giving evidence at Winchester Crown Court, the 40-year-old accepted that he had pleaded guilty to burglary offences in 2018 and 2019. 

Roach is one of five men accused of going to Warburton Road, Thornhill, during a failed robbery that led to the death of Mark Noke.

Speaking at the trial on Tuesday, he continued to deny ever being at the block of flats and maintained that he was at home in Steep Close taking drugs.

Daily Echo: Police at Warburton Road after the death of Mark NokePolice at Warburton Road after the death of Mark Noke (Image: NQ)

Kirsty Brimelow KC, for Morgan, suggested to Roach that he attended Warburton Road with four others, equipped with pizza boxes and a bike helmet to steal cash and drugs. 

She said: "At the communal door, so the door downstairs, Mr Claffey and Mr Tabone were waiting for you to buzz on the communal door to any of those flats to pretend that you were a pizza delivery driver to be let in.

"But in fact what happened was that Mr Tabone pulled the door and it pulled open didn't it?"

Roach denied this and when he continued to be questioned on the incident, added: "I wasn't there. I wouldn't know."

He previously told the jury that he had only learnt of Mark Noke's death the next day, on February 25, 2023. 

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When asked about his reaction to the news, he said: "Shock, disgusted."

But he later added "that day had no significance for me" and that "what was going around was that a man had died and no one knew how and why".

Roach; Keiran Claffey, 29, of Keynsham Road; Aaron Morgan, 32, of Bursledon Road; Bradley O'Dell, 22, of West Park Road and Leighton Tabone, 24, of no fixed address, deny murder and manslaughter.

Morgan, O’Dell, Roach and Tabone deny conspiracy to rob.

Claffey has already pleaded guilty to this charge.

Ms Brimelow claimed that after the incident everyone came back to Roach's home but he said: "I would have been in my bedroom, I didn't see them come back."

He denied hearing panicking and shouting from those who had come into his flat at around one in the morning.

The barrister continued: "Mr Claffey has told you to keep your mouth shut hasn't he and that's what you're doing."

Roach denied this. 

When Claffey's barrister, Brian St Louis KC, suggested to him that the offer of £30,000 and two kilograms of cannabis would be "too good to refuse", he said: "I agree but I didn't get the offer. It sounds good obviously."

The trial continues.