An elderly man died days after being pushed to the ground during a street robbery, a court heard.

Retired hairdresser Jacques Manlow, 82, broke his hip during the attack and after suffering a heart attack he died.

Two men have gone on trial at Lewes Crown Court accused of robbing the pensioner and manslaughter.

Raymond Atkins, 33, of Albert Road, Bexhill, and Philip Howell, 28, of Rotherfield Avenue, Bexhill, both deny the charges.

The court heard Mr Manlow, who had lived in Bexhill for many years and was well-known for wearing a beret, was described as being in good health before the robbery on June 17 last year.

Stephen Shah, prosecuting, told the jury the family man had been trying to get his car repaired by the AA and was in Parkhurst Road, Bexhill, where it was parked, when he was robbed.

Two men, one wearing no top, were seen to push the pensioner into the wall causing him to fall to the ground before one of his attackers stole his wallet.

As a passer-by approached, the robbers were seen to hand back the wallet saying: "It is yours. We don't want it."

The two men fled and Mr Manlow, of Osbern Close, Bexhill, was taken to the Conquest Hospital, in Hastings, by ambulance.

He had an operation on his fractured hip the following day and at first was making a good recovery but his condition started to deteriorate and on June 24 he died after suffering a heart attack.

Mr Shah told the jury whoever robbed Mr Manlow was responsible for unlawfully killing him.

He said: "The prosecution case is the injuries sustained in the robbery contributed substantially to his later death in hospital.

"If this robbery had not happened, Mr Manlow would not have sustained a heart attack."

Mr Shah said Mr Manlow had a history of heart disease and suffered a heart attack 12 years earlier but he had been in good health before the robbery and his GP described him as being extremely fit.

Three days after he died, police arrested Atkins and Howell.

Mr Shah said Howell asked officers: "Is this about when the old man fell over and I helped him up and gave him back his wallet?"

The trial continues.