A man accused of beating his flatmate to death broke down in tears as he told a court how he was shown the lifeless body.

Mark Johnstone, 31, said he last saw Robert Kelly, 46, snoring loudly by the fire after an evening spent drinking and chatting.

He was woken the following morning by police entering the flat they shared in Downland Court, Portslade, and saw the victim's battered body, he said.

He was then told by an officer that Mr Kelly was dead.

Giving evidence at the Old Bailey, he sobbed: "To be told your friend is dead and there is nothing you can do about it is not a very good thing. I was crying."

The defendant and a third housemate Anth-ony Meenan, 54, both originally from Coatbridge, Scotland, are accused of murdering Mr Kelly at their flat on January 16, 2001.

It is alleged they used the victim like a trampoline and repeatedly jumped on him during a late night row before going to sleep.

Martin Johnstone, a brother of the defendant, was also allegedly responsible for the murder but has since died.

The defendant told the court the four were happily drinking cider and vodka in the flat.

Johnstone said: "We were just sat chatting. There wasn't any rowing, no quarrels, nobody was angry. It was an alright atmosphere. We were all getting on well. There was no reason for us to have an argument."

Johnstone said he became tired and went to bed falling asleep "almost immediately".

He described waking up in the middle of the night and wandering into the living room for a cigarette.

"The TV and gas fire was on. Martin was sprawled on the couch and Robert was lying in front of the fire with a sleeping bag pulled over him."

Johnstone said he then went back to bed and the next he recalled was being woken up by the police and shown Mr Kelly's body. He said: "I was more surprised than the police. You are talking about a good friend of mine."

Johnstone was then put in a police car and arrested on suspicion of murder, the court heard.

He told the jury: "I did not kill him and I did not see anyone else beat or kill him."

A post mortem revealed Mr Kelly had suffered at least 20 impact injuries to his face and head. Marks to his back indicated he had been struck with a stick shaped object. He had also suffered multiple fractured ribs, collapsed lungs and both his liver and spleen were torn.

Forensic experts later matched a pattern from Johnstone's Reebok trainer to a pattern on the victim's body.

Meenan, 29, of West Hill Road, St Leonards on Sea, and Johnstone, of no fixed address, both deny murdering Mr Kelly.

The trial continues.