The girlfriend of a man accused of murder told a jury how he rang her hours after a man was stabbed to death to tell her he had been in a fight.

Rashad Zaman called Rehan al-Mausawe on her mobile telephone in the early hours of December 30 last year shortly after Kevin Jackson was killed with a screwdriver.

Zaman, 20, of Apsley Crescent, Rangzaib Akhtar, 19, of Salt Street, and Raees Khan, 20, of Priestman close, all of Manningham, all deny murdering Mr Jackson.

Miss Mausawe, a Bradford Univ-ersity student, told Leeds Crown Court yesterday: "He said he had been in a fight.

"He just said a man had come out of nowhere and started a fight with them.

"He said he got into a fight and a friend had hit the man over his head."

The court heard he told Miss Mausawe they had left the man on the floor.

"I said 'is he dead?'," she told the court.

"He said 'no he is not'. He said he might be hospitalised for a while."

Miss Mausawe, who told the court she had secret meetings with Zaman, said she drove to Manningham, near the sports centre, to meet him.

She said he had mentioned stealing motor cars, but never specific incidents.

The jury was told two text messages were sent to her telephone at 1.33am and 3.50am on December 30 and that she received a phone call at 4.28am.

Tina Makama told the court that she knew Rangzaib Akhtar and that he had given her an account of events that day.

Miss Makama, 16, of Allerton, Bradford, said: "He just said they were going to nick a car, then the man came out of his house, they saw him, the man chased them off and then they started fighting.

"The man grabbed Raees in a headlock and started punching him in the face.

"Somehow Raees got the screwdriver and then killed him."

Under cross-examination, Miss Makama admitted she did not know if Raees had done it or not.

The trial continues.