A key witness in a murder trial told jurors that he came forward to ‘speak up’ for his friend when he died more than a year after being allegedly attacked in his flat.

Jonathan Gregory found Mark Robinson unconscious in his home after suffering head injuries during a suspected assault.

He told jurors that he didn’t tell the police what happened in the early hours of July 28, 2020, as he didn’t want to be a ‘grass’ and wanted his friend to decide what to do when he came round.

Raymond Whincup is on trial accused of murdering the 40-year-old following a dispute over £20, Teesside Crown Court heard.

Read more: MURDER TRIAL: 40-year-old suffered fatal head injuries over dispute over £20

Mr Gregory accepted that he had been drinking in Whincup’s flat, which in the same building as his own home, before the accused went down stairs and assaulted Mr Robinson.

The Northern Echo: Mark RobinsonMark Robinson

Toby Hedworth KC, prosecuting, asked the witness what he did after he found his friend unconscious in his flat on Station Road, Redcar.

He replied: “There was a load of confusion that’s what it was. They were in and out for half an hour.

“I put the scares into them. I said - ‘the bobbies are going to come’ so they left the building.”

The jury heard how the witness called the ambulance two hours after finding his friend ‘murmuring’ on the floor in his flat.

John Elvidge KC, defence counsel, quizzed Mr Gregory about why he didn’t immediately call the emergency services and why he had given different stories during his police interviews.

The witness replied: “My life, since the age of 26, I’ve been in trouble with the police. I was protecting everyone in that situation just as Mark would. We call it grassing.

“So, I protected everyone. But now I’m doing the right thing.”

The barrister asked: “Did it occur to you that you might get the blame for this Mr Gregory? He was, after all, found in your flat?”

“No” replied the 47-year-old, “it didn’t bother me cos I didn’t do it.

“I’ve been against the law since I was 26. We call it grassing and we just don’t do it.

"But now, since Mark has died, I’ve come here to tell the truth.”

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Earlier, jurors heard how the 40-year-old suffered catastrophic head injuries and died more than a year later after never regaining his mobility and had remained in intensive care for four months.

Mr Robinson had emergency surgery after suffering a bleed on the brain and had injuries consistent with at least one blow to the head and from a rapid fall to the ground.

Whincup, formerly of Station Road, Redcar, denies murder.

The trial continues.