A mother has told how a man accused of killing a pensioner at his Maidstone home confessed to her that he committed a murder.

Joanne James said she had just been attacked by John Barham, 25, in her house when he started talking about carrying out the crime.

Barham, of Quarry Road, Tovil, and Allison Tomlin, 48, of no fixed address, both deny murdering 69-year-old John Birney.

His decomposing body was discovered at his ground floor flat in Rocky Hill Terrace, Rocky Hill, on June 8 this year after he had not been seen for some time.

He was covered with a curtain on a sofa bed. His hands were tied with a belt and two knives were on the floor next to him.

A post mortem examination revealed he had sustained 10 stab wounds, including one to the back of his head and others close to his neck and to his left upper eyelid, Maidstone Crown Court was told.

He had also suffered injuries to his ribs six weeks before his body was found.

Miss James told the jury she had known Barham for about a month and he had visited her home in a three-storey house in the town twice before he assaulted her.

The mother-of-three said the first time he visited he was drunk and eventually passed out on her kitchen floor.

“He was discussing about the man who was murdered,” she said. “He said he was quite happy he had done it and that he deserved it.

“He showed me an article on his phone. It was about someone who had been murdered. He was glad he had done it.

“I assumed he was just showing off like most of the boys do.”

Miss James said the confession was not long before he returned in the early hours of August 30.

Barham, she said, punched her in the face twice after accusing her of “slagging off” his girlfriend.

Miss James said Barham also kicked her and threatened her with a knife.

“He was discussing about the man who was murdered. He said he was quite happy he had done it and that he deserved it" - Joanne James

“At one point, he told me I would not get out alive,” she added.

Miss James said of Barham’s alleged claims he had killed: “He did say he had murdered before. He said his girlfriend had gone nutty because of what she saw.

“He was angry. He said he had done certain blows. He did the top half of the body. The lighter blows at the lower half of the body was his girlfriend.

“He didn’t say if he used anything to inflict the blows. He just done a stabbing motion. He said he stabbed the man. He didn’t say how many times.

“He said he was pulled in for questioning, but got away with it. He said some poor girl had been wrongfully blamed. He said he got on with it and let her take the blame.”

The trial continues.