A robber who killed a bookmaker in a frenzied hammer attack was a regular gambler, a court heard.

Shafique Aarij, who is on trial for the murder of Cheam Man Andrew Iacovou at the Morden bookmakers he managed, was even a 'monitored customer' at a Tooting betting shop due to his gambling habits, the Southwark Crown Court heard.

The jury also heard evidence from a pathologist who described the injuries to father-of-three Iacovou's brain as "unequivocally severe".

Homeless man Mr Aarij is accused of attacking Mr Iacovou , of Church Hill Road, Cheam, as he worked at Ladbrokes in Aberconway Road just before 8.30am on Saturday, July 25.

The prosecution claims he hit Mr Iacovou, 55, in the head with a claw hammer up to 10 times before leaving with £296 and wiring some of the money to Pakistan.

Mr Aarij, 21, denies murder.

This morning the court heard evidence from workers at betting shops around south London.

Anju Matardi, who works at the same branch of Ladbrokes that Mr Iacovou was killed in, told the court Mr Aarij was a regular customer and would place bets of up to £100 on cricket matches and smaller amounts on dog racing.

She told the court Mr Aarij was known for combing his thick, long hair in the shop, sometimes even while he was making bets.

In the days before the attack Mr Aarij is alleged to have shaved his head and moustache.

The court was read a statement from Alex Flemming, manager at the Tooting branch of Paddy Power.

The statement, read out by prosecutor Max Hill, said: "He is a monitored customer due to the stakes of his bets and because it's mostly on cricket.

"When I spoke to him he was polite, not too talkative. He was a losing customer but always smiled when he lost."

The court also heard evidence from pathologist Simon Poole who detailed the injuries sustained my Mr Iacovou, including several fractures to his skull.

He said: "The degree of head injury was unequivocally severe. Even the first impact, if it had sufficient force to effect skull fractures, loss of consciousness would have happened rapidly and death would have shortly followed."

The trial continues.