A false alibi was created for a man accused of murder, a jury heard.

Colin Meek's work time sheet record was allegedly faked to claim he was working in London on the day a wealthy businessman was the victim of a contract killing in Sussex.

Meek, 35, and Jason Bradley, 37, both deny murder at a trial at Lewes Crown Court.

They are accused of killing Ken Harvey, 44, of Broad Oak, near Hastings, who ran a courier firm. The father-of-four was shot five times as he sat in his silver Mercedes on a quiet country road at Cripps Corner, near Battle, at about 6.30am on the morning of August 18 2003.

His killers confronted him on a motorbike, with the false number plate V1LON, as he drove to work.

The pillion rider shot him at point-blank range before they fled on the stolen Kawaski bike. The jury heard Meek, of Leyton, East London, had worked on a casual basis for access systems firm Eve Trakway, which was responsible for erecting barriers that year for the Notting Hill Carnival, London.

Meek's brother, David, worked full-time for the firm at the time.

When records at the Wimbledon depot were checked in April 2004, it was discovered Colin Meek's time sheet for the week of the murder had been altered.

The firm did not believe he worked on August 18 but the time sheet was changed to claim he had started a ten-hour shift at 6am putting up barriers for the carnival.

Meek had not been paid for the ten extra hours as the original time sheet had not claimed he worked on the day of the murder.

The firm's depot manager Giorgetta Cardillo told the trial it was easy at the time to change the time sheet records, which were kept in an unlocked file in an office. She said: "You would just walk in and help yourself."

The jury has heard the prosecution allege Meek and Bradley were hired contract killers who were paid to shoot Mr Harvey in connection with a drug trafficking charge.

Harvey was on bail at the time of his death accused of smuggling half a million pounds worth of cocaine into the UK. His co-defendant, George Taylor, who ran a transport firm in Kent, was later jailed for 20 years.

The trial continues.