The girlfriend of a man accused of murder told a jury the couple were together at the time of the killing.

Natalie Stevens said she was with Colin Meek at 6.50am on 18 August 2003 at her Hastings flat in Hastings.

The jury at Lewes Crown Court has heard wealthy businessman Ken Harvey was gunned down at that time as he drove to work.

Mr Harvey, 44, of Broad Oak, near Hastings, who ran a courier firm, was shot five times by two men on a motorbike at crossroads at Cripps Corner, near Battle.

Meek, 35, of Leyton, East London, and Jason Bradley, 37, from Croydon, deny murder.

Miss Stevens, 21, told the jury Meek would travel regularly from London to Hastings to visit her at her flat in Charles Road.

She said she was working at a hotel in the summer of 2003 and after Meek was questioned by police about the killing she checked her rota and could remember being with him at the time of the murder as he had stayed the night with her.

She said she was unaware how Meek was earning money at the time or who he was friends with. She said: "I don't know any of Colin's friends. We never discussed other people."

The trial continues.