An Eastbourne man has told a jury of his terror as two thugs tied him up and threatened to chop off his genitals with a kitchen knife.

Christopher Fox said the men tied him up, pulled down his trousers and said they would cut off his private parts.

They also stamped on his back and repeatedly pistol-whipped his face during the three-hour ordeal, the Old Bailey was told.

Carlon Robinson, 27, and Nolan Atkins, 25, allegedly inflicted a four-month campaign of terror on their victims.

One man was shot in the chest as he tried to escape their clutches by jumping from a first floor window, it is claimed.

Another was blasted in both thighs as he wrestled a gun from Robinson's hands.

Mr Fox said the men had burst into his flat in Havelock Road, Eastbourne, on August 13, 2001, demanding information about a local drug dealer who owed a friend of theirs £64,000.

Mr Fox said: "They pushed me on my side with my hands tied behind my back.

"They pulled my trousers and shorts down and got a knife from the kitchen and threatened to cut off my penis.

"One of them said 'I am going to cut off your d*** if you don't tell me everything you know'. I was completely powerless."

Robinson and Atkins are accused of shooting, torturing and bribing victims in London, Brighton and Eastbourne.

It is claimed they embarked on a four-month reign of terror from July to October last year.

Mr Fox told the court he thought he was going to die.

He said one of the men leapt on his back during the torture session and held a gun to his head.

Mr Fox added: "He told me to tell him everything or I was going to die. They kept saying 'Little Mickey wants his £64,000'.

"They wanted the money and they thought I had some of it. I said I did not know anything about what they were talking about."

Mr Fox told the court he only knew the drug associate the men were looking for as Ronnie after occasionally buying ecstasy and cannabis from him.

The two men finally left after warning their victims they knew where their families lived if they went to the police, it is claimed.

Robinson, of Merton Court, Brighton Marina, denies two charges of attempted murder, five firearms offences, three charges of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and theft.

Atkins, of no fixed address, denies attempted murder, causing grievous bodily harm with intent, and two firearms offences.

Both men deny three robberies, five charges of false imprisonment, two aggravated burglaries and one charge of taking a conveyance without authority.

The trial continues.