A YOUTH who denies murdering Jourdan Griffiths was wearing no shoes as he cycled through the Eden Shopping Centre on the morning after the 20-year-old was stabbed, a court heard.

A shoe belonging to the 17-year-old defendant was found outside the High Wycombe squat where Mr Griffiths was attacked, Reading Crown Court was told by the crown prosecution last week.

Mr Griffiths died after an 'attack' at Buckinghamshire House, on White Hart Street, on Monday, June 29, last year.

Shoaib Hussain, a security guard at Eden, told police he confronted a male who was riding a mountain bike through the shopping centre on the morning of June 30, jurors heard.

In a statement to police he said the male replied: “Come on let me through - I don't have any shoes...they've been stolen.”

Jurors heard yesterday this person was the 17-year-old accused.

The accused was also seen minutes earlier by a market trader on the High Street in High Wycombe, jurors heard.

Hot food seller Robert Reader told police he knows the 17-year-old, and as he saw him cycling past he heard someone say: “Look [the 17-year-old] isn't wearing any shoes.”

The defence lawyers did not comment on these statements.

Lotto Williams, 19, and Christopher Joseph, 22, also deny Mr Griffiths murder.

Pathologist Nicholas Hunt appeared as a witness and told the court that Mr Griffiths was killed by a 8cm-long stab which entered his heart. He said ketamine was found in Mr Griffiths body, but it did not contribute to his death.

Jurors were also shown images of a 'patterned injury' on Mr Griffiths forehead, which Mr Hunt thought could have been caused by a stamp. Mr Hunt said he found no defence wounds on the body.

Forensics expert Darryl Manners told jurors he could not make any definite associations between the marks on Mr Griffiths forehead and the soles of the defendants' shoes.

He said three footprints found in the entrance to the squat could not be matched to the shoes, and two of them could be 'positively excluded'. Jurors heard that three further scientists agreed with this.

Jurors looked at photographs of the clothes taken from Christopher Joseph and Lotto Williams shortly after the incident.

A sleeveless black 'body warmer' was seized from Joseph, along with white top with long sleeves and another dark hooded top, which had been tied around his waist, the court heard. Williams was said to have been wearing a black hooded jacket.

Two witnesses, who told the court they knew three accused, said they saw Williams and Joseph on Rutland Avenue, High Wycombe, at about 10.30pm on the day of the incident, which happened at about 11pm.

One said he saw Joseph holding a carrier bag with some clothing in it, though under cross examination he said he thought this was on a Friday.

The other witness could not remember which day or date she saw the two accused, and could not say whether she knew these details when giving a statement to police.

The trial continues.