ONE of the men accused of murdering a 21-year-old TV executive was upset with him for being involved in his parents' splitting up, the Old Bailey has heard.

Gagandip Singh, aged 21, of Langdale Crescent, Bexleyheath, died on February 26.

His body was found in the boot of a blue Mercedes C-class in Angerstein Lane, Blackheath, at around 2am after the vehicle had been set alight.

Mundill Mahil, from Chatham, Harinder Shoker (referred to as Ravi) of Charlton Park Lane, Charlton, and Darren Peters, of Shooters Hill Road, Blackheath, all aged 20, deny murder.

Jurors have heard that Mr Singh, who was "besotted" with Mahil, had visited her at her student home in Brighton in August last year, and had tried to rape her.

The court was told that Ravi had at one point been close friends with Mr Singh and had even been employed by him.

One of medical student Mahil's housemates at the time, Live Thorsen, took to the witness stand today.

She told the jury she was aware that Ravi and Mahil were close friends and that she felt Ravi was in love with her housemate, but the feelings were not reciprocated.

When asked by prosecutor Aftab Jafferjee what she thought Ravi's attitude towards Mr Singh was, Miss Thorsen said: "I think she (Mahil) said something like Ravi was upset with s***face because s***face had something to do with his parents splitting up."

Mr Jafferjee said: "She (Mahil) was telling other people about what happened to her.

"What did she tell you was the reaction of certain people towards s***face?"

Miss Thorsen told the court that as far as she could remember, some friends, which she assumed to include Ravi, had approached Mahil saying they "would like to do something".

She said: "As far as I understood, they were going to sit down and talk about whatever issue there was, and in my mind, depending on the level of testosterone or alcohol, someone might throw a punch and that was it."

It is alleged that Mahil lured Mr Singh to her home in Brighton on February 25 where Ravi and Peters lay in wait.

The two men are said to have beaten Mr Singh up before stuffing him into the boot of his sister's car and driving him to Blackheath where they torched the vehicle in the early hours of February 26.

The trial continues.