A traveller stabbed a man to death after rejecting his sexual advances while they sat on a sofa, a court heard.

On Monday Kingston Crown Court heard Frank Smith, 30, twice plunged a kitchen knife into Damon Weedon's back as he tried to flee his own flat in Typhoon Way, Wallington.

Mr Frank Smith, of Corbet close, Hackbridge denies murder and claims he acted in self defence.

On May 31 this year, Mr Weedon, Mr Smith and their mutual friend Thomas Brookman-Miller, had been decorating Mr Smith's former partner’s house in Meteor Way, close to Mr Weedon's home on the Roundshaw Estate.

After running out of lager at about 1am on June 1, the three men walked to a Texaco petrol station at Five Ways, Wallington, to get more cans, but when they returned to Mr Smith's girlfriend’s home, they were locked out.

The group went to Mr Weedon's flat instead, the court heard, where they played on the Xbox games console until the incident occurred before 4am on June 1.

The court heard that as Brookman-Miller played on his computer, Smith, who had been sat on the sofa with Mr Weedon, suddenly got up and asked where the toilet was.

The trial's first witness, Mr Brookman-Miller, told the jury at Mr Smith’s murder trial: "When Frank left the room, Damon turned to me and said 'I think I might have pissed him off'.

“Two minutes later Frank came back in the room brandishing a weapon. It was a kitchen knife. He walked up to Damon, stood calmly in front of him for ten seconds, then just began thrusting the knife at him."

Prosecutor Mark Dennis QC, told the jury: "Although the precise trigger event is as yet unknown, save to the defendant, it is quite likely that it was an unwelcomed or misguided sexual approach by the deceased which caused the defendant to react in such an extreme and violent fashion, something which he no doubt would not have done had he been sober."

Mr Brookman-Miller, told the jury he had been friends with Mr Smith for ten to fifteen years, but the defendant and Mr Weedon had never met before the night of his death.

He told the court how father-of-three Weedon, his "brother from another mother", had made sexual advanced towards men previously, but only when drunk.

Mr Brookman-Miller told the court he had never seen any bad reaction to his advances, and admitted that had he known his flat mate Mr Weedon had made a pass at Mr Smith, he would have "told him to back off".

He told the jury: "After Frank stabbed him, Damon jumped up and ran out of the front door. I saw them struggling on the stairs, Frank turned to me and told me not to get involved. I knew he had seriously cut him, there was blood everywhere. I rang the ambulance and went outside to see where they had gone, but I couldn't see them."

Mr Weedon was found by police slumped against railings in Redford Avenue, his arm impaled on the fence as he fell down.

He had received a stab wound to his face, and two stab wounds to his back, one of which proved fatal.

Mr Smith was found wandering nearby in Defiant Way when he was arrested, the court was told.

The court heard he had always made no comment during police interviews. The week-long trial continues.