A landlord allegedly murdered by his tenant told friends he wanted his room mate to leave his home shortly before he was killed, a court heard.

Two of Michael Ryan's close friends told the jury how the retired engineer had grown tired of Stuart Crawford staying at his house and wanted him to leave.

Mr Crawford, 45, is accused of beating 67-year-old Mr Ryan to death before stealing £6,500 from his bank account and fleeing to Thailand.

Friends Helen Bryan and Lynne Crane claimed they had been told by Mr Ryan at his birthday party on September 1 that Mr Crawford was due to go to Scotland to find work.

Mr Crawford denies murder claiming he killed Mr Ryan in self defence.

Pathologist Ashley Fegan-Earl told the court how Michael Ryan had been hit with such force he found fragments of skull and brain tissue.

Mr Fegan-Earl claimed that the bruising to Michael Ryan's arm was consistent with him trying to protect himself from his attacker.

Under cross-examination from defence barrister Mr Chris Henley, Mr Fegan-Earl said the fracture of Michael Ryan's skull was caused by an assault rather than a fall.

A written statement from Michael Ryan's daughter Alexandra Ryan was also read out in the Old Bailey yesterday afternoon.

Miss Ryan said she had received a text message from her father's phone explaining why he could not give her and her partner a lift to Heathrow Airport on September 4 2008.

The prosecution claim the text was sent by Stuart Crawford using Michael Ryan's phone in order to put his loved ones off the scent of murder.

Miss Ryan's statement read: "It was not like Dad to make arrangements and then not follow them through."

Crawford was "normal and friendly" on the one occasion Miss Ryan had met him, the court heard.

The jury heard from a locksmith who opened the locked bedroom door of Michael Ryan where his body had been lying for up to a week after his murder.

He told the jury of the "horrible smell" that greeted him as he drilled through the lock.

The trial continues.