A mother told a jury she was threatened with murder if she revealed who had battered a woman to death.

Tracey Gazzard said Stephen Johnstone told her: "If I have got to go down for one murder, I might as well go down for two."

Johnstone, 26, and Alex Gallacher, 33, have both denied murdering Charmaine Dempsey.

She was found dead at her flat in Ivory Walk, Bewbush, Crawley, last December, a month after she is believed to have been killed.

Gazzard, 29, of Neptune Close, Bewbush, Crawley, has admitted a charge of manslaughter on the grounds she assaulted the dead woman but did not intend to kill her.

The jury at Lewes Crown Court has heard that the two men attacked Ms Dempsey, a 48-year-old alcoholic.

The prosecution said Ms Dempsey had been blamed when Gazzard's three children were taken into care.

The older woman had slapped one of the children while babysitting.

Gazzard told the court that on November 27 last year she was drinking with the two men at Ms Dempsey's flat.

She said the two women had a "loud row" about Gazzard's children being taken into care.

She said the men started telling her to hit Ms Dempsey, whom she had known for six years.

But when she refused, Johnstone hit her in the face.

Gazzard said she then fell asleep because she had taken Valium and had been drinking.

The following day Johnstone returned to Ms Dempsey's home to see how she was and collect something.

He telephoned soon afterwards to say he had found her dead.

She said later Gallacher told her Johnstone had attacked Ms Dempsey with a stick.

She told the jury: "Stephen Johnstone threatened to kill me if I told anyone."

The trial continues.