A man accused of murder was "blackmailed" into paying £300 for using a prostitute who was later found dead near Gerrards Cross, a jury was told today.

Navin Mohan told jurors he had agreed a price to have sex with Anita Kapoor, whose naked body was found dumped in a layby on the A413 hours after she had been in the defendant's car.

While the pair were in the car Ms Kapoor's boyfriend, Stanley Flanders - who, jurors have been told, is also accused of being her pimp - warned Mohan he would go to the police if he did not give the prostitute £300 to be passed on to him.

This caused an argument, Mohan told the court, which led to Ms Kapoor getting out of the car along a dual carriageway and walking away.

Mohan - dressed in a suit and striped tie - said he had had to drive out of his way in order to turn his car around to go in search of Ms Kapoor and by the time he got back, she had disappeared.

The prosecution allege however that Ms Kapoor was strangled by Mohan on the back seat of his red Nissan Micra before the defendant left her corpse in a nearby layby. He denies this.

He said the purpose of the journey away from Southall, where Mohan had picked up Ms Kapoor shortly after 4am on June 23, was to discuss their arrangement - not, as the prosecution claimed, to dump her body.

Mohan told jurors: "I was trying to come to an amicable agreement with Anita as to how much money I should give him. I agreed to go from £20 to £50.

"I have said after that request, that's blackmail. I said I would double £50 to £100. She didn't agree with that. Anita said I had to give the full amount, otherwise there would be repercussions.”

Mohan claims he offered to take her back to Southall and pay £100, but when she refused, said she could find her own way back.

Ms Kapoor's body was found at around 8am on June 23 in a layby along the road between Gerrards Cross and Chalfont St Peter, around three hours after she had last been with Mohan.

He was arrested the following evening after being pulled over in front of a bus stop by unmarked police cars while on his way to work. Upon his arrest he said: "Murder? Not me, you have the wrong person", jurors were told.

Traces of Mohan's DNA were found on Ms Kapoor's neck but the defendant said this "could have quite innocently got on her neck when we were together" in the car.

Some of her blood was found in the car but Mohan told the court: "There are many ways it could have got there. I don't want to speculate. She's been in the car plenty of times."

The 34-year-old defendant, of Quaker Lane, Southall, denies one count of murder. The trial continues.