An alleged killer took a sick day from work to meet his victim on a luxury boat, a court heard.

Train guard David MacBride called his manager at South Central on September 25 last year to say he was feeling sick.

He did not arrive at work the next day but was seen at Birdham Marina, near Chichester.

Witnesses told Lewes Crown Court yesterday MacBride, 44, was seen sailing a boat belonging to 70-year-old widower Robert Saint.

Mr Saint disappeared on September 26 and his battered body was found on the Isle of Wight ten days later.

Maria Sheils, MacBride's manager, said MacBride, of Bramber Close, Bognor, had worked for the company since July 2001.

She said he had worked his shift on September 25 from 4.50am to 12.44pm but called in later that day to say he was ill.

She said: "He was complaining of sickness and diarrhoea.

"I just said okay and jotted it down in the sickness log."

MacBride had been due to start work at 6.30am on September 26.

He was arrested on September 28 for the murder of Mr Saint, of London Road, Steyning.

Mr Saint, known as Captain Bob, disappeared after he went to Birdham Marina to finalise the sale of his 42ft cruiser.

A cheque that MacBride had given him two days earlier had bounced.

Mr Saint's body was found by a fossil hunter on a beach on the Isle of Wight.

Two carrier bags were over his head and he had a diver's knife around one wrist.

His head was fractured from 16 blows by a blunt instrument.

MacBride, who denies murdering the pensioner, claims he gave Mr Saint £119,000 in used £50 notes for the boat Sundowner on the day he disappeared before taking him to Portsmouth harbour.

Port radar records indicated the Sundowner went south towards the Isle of Wight.

At the trial yesterday a friend of Mr Saint said she saw a man on the Sundowner on September 25 who claimed to be its new owner.

Andrea Harrington, who did not identify the man because she had not been wearing her glasses on the day in question, went to Birdham Marina at about 1.30pm.

She said: "I saw a figure on the stern of the boat. He was bending down and fiddling with something.

"I realised it wasn't Bob so I called out 'Where's Bob?'.

He said 'Bob who?', I said 'Bob Saint, the chap who owns the boat'. He said 'I own the boat'."

The trial continues.