A murder suspect used a telephone belonging to a man who had been beaten to death to phone his sister in the United States, a jury heard.

Richard Sumner, 35, of Grand Parade, Brighton, and Richard Price, 24, of Denmark Terrace, Brighton, are charged with killing Billy Carmichael at his flat in Lower Rock Gardens, Brighton, in November 2000.

Mr Carmichael, 63, described as an eccentric gay alcoholic, was found battered to death on his bloodstained bed after concerned neighbours alerted police.

The jury at Lewes Crown Court heard Sumner rang his sister, Claire Forte, who lives with her family in Florida, late at night.

The call was made from Mr Carmichael's telephone in his flat, the night he was believed to have been killed.

Mrs Forte, a prosecution witness, travelled from the United States to give evidence at the trial.

She said Sumner was adopted as a child and went off the rails by the time he was a teenager.

She said: "He was easily led and always in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Mrs Forte said since moving to Florida 12 years ago she had had little contact with him. When he called her it was the first time she had heard from him in five years.

She said he was drunk and she tried to end the conversation as soon as possible as she was putting her young daughter to bed.

She added: "He said he was in some guy's flat. He said to talk to his friend. I couldn't make sense of what he was saying. I spoke to Richard again.

He said 'We have just been in a fight with some guy'. There was some discussion about the guy being into children."

During cross-examination she said she was under the impression both men had been involved.

She denied she was reluctant to give evidence because she did not want to incriminate her brother.

A previous trial started in December last year but the jury was dismissed before all the evidence was heard.

Mrs Forte said she had been unwilling to appear because she feared she would lose her job.

Sumner and Price deny murdering Mr Carmichael.

A post-mortem examination revealed his injuries were consistent with him being kicked and having his neck stamped on.

The trial continues.