The man accused of murdering a banker with a single punch poured his heart out to a female friend afterwards, saying "I feel like I have lost it all", a court has heard.

Trevor Timon, 31, allegedly flew into a rage because Oliver Dearlove and his friends were talking to a group of women he knew during a night out in Blackheath.

Mr Dearlove, 30, had a friendly chat with one of the women about her sore feet and admired her baby photos seconds before the attack in the early hours of August 28 last year, jurors at the Old Bailey have heard.

He was felled with a single punch to the head in the street near Morden's nightclub and died in hospital within 24 hours.

One of the four women who witnessed the attack was a close friend of Timon and had known him for 10 years, the court heard.

Giving evidence, the woman, who cannot be identified, was asked to read a series of WhatsApp messages she sent a female friend within hours of the incident.

She wrote: "Trevor hit someone for no reason. He's being resuscitated.

"I heard a punch. It lifted the boy off the floor."

The witness told jurors: "At the time I was very upset with Trevor and I did not know what to do ... I didn't know what to think.

"I was telling her what happened. I said I was scared."

Cross-examining, Courtenay Griffiths QC suggested she "exaggerated" events because she was "pissed off" at Timon for "spoiling" her night.

The woman replied: "Yes, I was."

Mr Griffiths read out messages from Timon to the woman in the days afterwards, pleading for her forgiveness.

Timon told her: "I hope you don't think I'm a lunatic because I'm not. Xxx"

Later, he wrote: "I'm so sorry I really am. No words can say how sorry I am. I'm not running away from it. That's not my intention. I swear to God I will face it. Please ring me."

He went on: "I'm so devastated about this. I'm in complete shock. You have not done anything. All I can do is tell the truth ... I'm scared, seriously, proper.

"I never ever meant to do it ... I'm sorry really from the bottom of my heart.

"I've got mad love for you, seriously. I just don't want you to get hurt. I understand if you don't want to know me any more.

"I just wanted to live life and now I feel like I have lost it all."

The woman, who choked back tears, told jurors: "He was in a terrible state, crying."

Timon, from Plumstead, denies murder but has admitted manslaughter.

Personal trainer Matt Whitmore and his girlfriend, Keris Marsden, a nutritionist, were on their way home from a barbecue when they saw Mr Dearlove collapsed on the pavement in Tranquil Vale and pulled over to help.

In a statement read to court, Mr Whitmore said he performed resuscitation on Mr Dearlove for what seemed like "forever".

The 6ft 2in trained first aider said the man called Oli had a split lip and an injury to the right side of his head.

He called 999 for an ambulance and carried on doing chest compressions until the victim got a pulse and a paramedic arrived to take over.

Ms Marsden said she hugged and comforted one of Mr Dearlove's friends who was "hysterical".

The trial was adjourned until tomorrow