A man accused of robbing a shop told a jury he thought he was drinking with friends at the time of the offence.

Craig Baldwin, 23, who collected scrap for a living, denies robbing Chotubhai Patel, whose son ran the Premier Whiteways shop in Bolton Lane. Two masked raiders, armed with a handgun and a hammer, made off with up to £950 in cash and £700 of cigarettes in the raid at the newsagent and grocery store, the trial at Bradford Crown Court has heard.

Giving evidence yesterday Baldwin, who now lives at West Royd Drive, Windhill, Shipley, said he did not know “100 per cent” where he was at the time of the robbery, on Sunday, August 7, last year, but he thought he was drinking with friends.

He said he used to live on the estate, referred to in court as “The Ashbournes” and he used to visit the shop daily before moving house in 2010. He said he knew Mr Patel and his son.

The jury has been told the defendant’s DNA was found on a balaclava mask discovered near the scene.

Baldwin told the court he used to have a home-made balaclava which he wore while riding bikes at the Flappits site in Denholme, but he no longer had it after he moved from the area.

He told the jury he had “chucked” the item into the back of a van belonging to his friend, who lived in Whiteways near the shop. Baldwin said: “The DNA must be really old, I don’t understand how it could still be there.”

The trial also heard a young girl had picked him out in an identification procedure as being the man who entered the shop carrying the hammer.

When asked if he had been at the scene of the robbery, he said: “No I wasn’t, she must have made a mistake.”

The trial continues.