A YOUNG man took the stand at Winchester Crown Court this morning to deny murdering Landford pensioner Reginald Baker.

John James, 19, said he saw his friend, 25-year-old Joby Barney, attack the frail 75-year-old but was too scared to step in to try to stop what was happening.

He said: "I was very frightened as to the situation I found myself in. If I would try to stop him doing it, God knows what he would do to me.

"I was a coward. I should never have went there in the first place. I wish I had done something about it."

James told the court it was Barney's idea to go to Mr Landford's Beech Grange home on September 5, with the aim of picking up some money he said the pensioner owed and seeing if they could get some gardening work.

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He said before he drove there Barney had drunk six cans of strong lager, while he had drunk two. He denied he had taken any crack cocaine and said he didn't see Barney take any either.

He admitted kicking open Mr Baker's door when it was opened with a security chain still on, but said that was after Barney shouted at him not to let the pensioner get it closed.

Once inside the house he claimed he carried out a search, finding about £80, but was not violent towards Mr Baker.

He said he saw Barney hitting the pensioner, who had terminal cancer, with his own walking stick, punching him in the ribs and grabbing him by the hair to shake his head from side to side while he lay defenceless on the kitchen floor.

Mr Baker died from multiple injuries, including a broken neck and back and 62 fractures to his ribs.

The court heard James had been in and out of care as a child and had suffered violent attacks, which left him paralysed in fear when he saw the attack on Mr Baker.

He has previous convictions for dishonesty, driving offences, and two with some element of violence, but his defence has asked the jury to consider how far away these minor offences are from murder.

The prosecution maintains both men took part in the attack on the elderly man.

Jane Miller, defending Barney, put it to James that he kicked and punched the victim and that his claim to be scared of violence was 'rubbish'.

She said: "You are a hulking 18, nearly 19, year old. You have pleaded guilty to convictions involving violence. For you to say you are frightened of violence is simply not true is it? Mr Barney is your friend. You are not frightened of him are you?"

Barney, of Ringwood Road Alderholt, and James, of London Road, Salisbury admit conspiracy to burgle but both deny murder.

John Wayne Wilkinson, 40, of Ford Lane Ferndown denies conspiracy to burgle on September 5 and burglary on July 30.

Two other men, Daniel Coker, 23, of London Road, and 19-year-old Trevor Gray, of The Friary, Salisbury, have both admitted manslaughter and conspiracy to burgle. They have been remanded in custody to be sentenced at a later date.

The trial of the three other defendants continues.