A man accused of shooting his friend during a bungled robbery has denied they had intended to rob watches.

Daniel Tesfay, 27, is accused or murdering Jonathan Barnes at a property in Morland Road, Croydon, on August 23 last year.

Mr Tesfay, a rapper by the name of 'Wolfie,' described Mr Barnes as a "good friend."

The court heard Mr Barnes called him on August 23 asking him to go with him to buy some Rolex watches, which were being sold for £6,500.

Giving evidence for the first time at the Old Bailey, Mr Tesfay said he agreed to go and to lend his friend £1,500 for the sale.

The court heard Mr Barnes visited Mr Tesfay bringing with him £5,000. Mr Tesfay put the money in his bag along with his £1,500, before travelling in a cab to Morland Road.

"He said he didn't want to get pulled over with the money. He asked me to get in a cab and he would pay for it and he would follow it," Mr Tesfay said.

When the pair arrived at the address they were shown three watches, where. Seller Jordan Williams told them to compare the watches as one was fake and the other two were real.

Mr Tesfay told the court he knew a little about Rolexes and had considered their weight, whether the second hand glided or ticked and the sound the watches made to determine if they were real.

He said: "Those were the three main tests I knew to check a Rolex watch."

Asked whether he thought the watches were real Mr Tesfay said he wasn't sure if they were genuine.

Mark George QC defending said: "Did Jonathan ever say to you he was thinking about robbing these guys?"

"No, never" he replied.

Mr George added: "Was there any agreement to steal the watches rather than pay?" Mr Tesfay replied: "No, no."

The case continues.