A man alleged to have murdered a fellow Wirral drug-dealer has told a jury he was elsewhere at the time of the violent attack.

Nazarreno Abela said that when Mark Reissing suffered fatal injuries, he was in his bedroom at his sister's home in Wallasey

Mr Reissing's body was found dumped near the River Mersey at Egremont Promenade shortly before 6am on July 9 last year by a dog-walker.

The prosecution claim he had been murdered by Abela and his friend and fellow drug-user Geoffrey Allen in Rice Hey Road, Wallasey, where he was beaten and stabbed because of a £50 drugs debt.

The jury heard 40-year-old Allen, of Rice Hey Road, will not be giving evidence.

Liverpool Crown Court was told that when interviewed, Allen claimed Abela carried out the attack and he just watched and took no part.

This is not accepted by the prosecution.

Allen said after Abela bundled the body into his Vauxhall Astra Estate to leave it at the promenade, he returned to Allen's flat saying he had gone too far and had killed Mr Reissing.

Abela, who said he was afraid of him, helped him, including giving him clean clothes and allowing him to bathe.

Stuart Driver, QC, prosecuting, has claimed blood staining in Rice Hey Road showed that was where Mr Reissing was attacked.

Blood was also found on Abela's T-shirt, in his car and at his sister's home.

Both Allen and Abela, 46, of Springfield Place, Wallasey, deny murder.

Alongside them in the dock is is Christopher Halpin, 30, of Roscommon Street, Everton.

He has pleaded not guilty to two offences of assisting an offender involving disposing of the Astra and providing a vehicle, both with intent to impede the apprehension of Abela.

He also denies being concerned in supplying Class-A drugs between January 1 and July 17 last year.

Abela told his QC Stephen Riordan that on the day Mr Reissing was killed, he was at a barbecue at his sister’s house.

He had loaned his car to Allen that evening so he could use it to go shoplifting, which he did to pay for his drug habit.

He denied leaving the house that night and said it was the next morning before he went to Allen's to pick up his car.

But Allen said he had left it in New Brighton.

He had earlier explained he had been using crack cocaine and heroin since the age of 30, but after leaving jail in 2011 having served an an eight-year sentence for robbery, he stayed off them for some time. But after his girlfriend and mother died, he went back to taking them.

Abela said he had tried to telephone Mark Reissing the night before, but got no reply.

He decided to to his home that morning in Trafalgar Road. He said: "I walked past his house and saw a lot of police commotion and I walked past to the shops."

Abela admitted he was a drug-dealer, but said he worked for Mr Reissing rather than the other way around.

The case continues.