A man accused of murder revealed he had killed twice before police arrested him over the death of a second woman, a court heard.

Mark Brown, 41, told a work friend he was going to prison for double murder - despite only being arrested over the death of one woman, a court heard.

Asked by work colleagues if he had killed two women, Brown said he could not comment.

The court heard Brown, of Squirrel Close, St Leonards, said: “It depends on what they find at my yard.”

Part time labourer and security guard Brown denies murdering two women at Little Bridge Farm near Hastings.

He was arrested after sex worker Alex Morgan’s car was traced to the farm in November last year.

Hove Crown Court heard a stash of prescription drugs for another woman was found in his van.

Leah Ware, 33, had been kept as a virtual prisoner at Little Bridge Farm and had not been seen for six months when Brown was quizzed over the murder of Ms Morgan, 34.

Duncan Atkinson KC told the jury the defendant revealed to work colleagues he had killed twice when he had only been questioned over Ms Morgan.

He said: “The defendant told him 'the police have my phone and I am going to be arrested'.

“He was asked what for and said 'Murder... double… I’m going away for 25 to life'.

“The reference by the defendant to 'double' at a time when he had not been arrested for the murder of Leah Ware was significant.

“Asked if he had done it, the defendant’s reply was also significant.

“Rather than saying no, he replied 'I can’t comment at this time' and added 'I’ve got to take this one'.”

Mr Atkinson said Brown had taken elaborate steps to cover his tracks.

“The steps taken demonstrate careful thought and cool, callous preparation," he said.

“They are the product not of panic at an accident but of responsibility for a killing.

“Each of them did not just disappear from Little Bridge Farm, but died there.

“And each of them did not just happen to die at a time when they were with the defendant, but had been murdered by him.”

Ms Morgan, a single mother-of-two from Sissinghurst, Kent, was reported missing in November 2021 by her mother after failing to return from a weekend away.

She was last seen filling her car at a petrol station in Cranbrook, near her home, on the morning of November 14.

Ms Ware, a mother-of-three from Hastings, was last seen by a friend in the early hours of May 6, 2021.

Brown denies both murders. The trial continues.