FOUR illegal immigrants who beat their housemate to death were caught because they left his mobile phone in his pocket, a court heard.

Ragbir Singh Chahal - known as Bittu - died after suffering head injuries.

His body was dumped on Plumstead Common.

Jatinder Kandola, aged 28; Merjit Bains, aged 32; Jagpal Jaswal, aged 21, and Ritesh Marwaha, aged 20, fled to Birmingham.

But police tracked them down after finding some of their phone numbers in the mobile's memory, the Old Bailey heard.

Prosecutor Jonathan Laidlaw said: "The defendants rather wrongly left Bittu's mobile telephone in his trouser pocket."

Mr Chahal, 31, was also an illegal immigrant and was working as a builder.

He and his alleged killers, who are all from India, were all living in a flat at 115a Plumstead High Street, the court heard.

Mr Laidlaw said: "In the evenings they drank heavily.

"When they were drunk on occasion there were arguments between them and fights at the address they shared in Plumstead."

Mr Laidlaw added: "It appears it was Bittu who bore the brunt of these verbal arguments.

"And when the verbal arguments became elevated, he also became the victim of their assaults."

On March 2 last year, it is alleged a row started after work and Bittu was beaten by his housemates.

Mr Laidlaw said: "He was punched, hit and struck in particular with the heavy metal bracelet or Kara some Sikhs wear as part of their religion."

It is alleged the following day three of the men went to work.

One of the men was left to stay with their dying victim to stop him calling the police.

After Mr Chahal died, they took the body to Plumstead Common and fled to Birmingham, where they were arrested in August, the court heard.

Jaswal and Marwaha, from Smethwick in the West Midlands, and Kandola, from West Bromwich, all deny murder and attempting to pervert the course of Justice.

Bains, from Warley in the West Midlands, denies murder but has admitted attempting to pervert the course of justice.

The trial continues.