A DOWNHAM pensioner wouldn't die, so his alleged murderer kept stabbing him, the Old Bailey has heard.

Andrew Monk, aged 28, of Abergeldie Road, Eltham, is charged with the murder of Downham pensioner James Land.

The 79-year-old was found by police at his home in Whitefoot Terrace on May 10 last year with 11 stab wounds.

Taking to the witness box today, Monk's ex-girlfriend, Sadie Newark, told jurors about a phonecall he made to her at around 9pm, shortly after the killing.

She said: "He just said are you on your own? I need to tell you something.

"You're gonna be angry with me, really angry."

Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson asked: "What did he say then?"

Ms Newark replied: "He said that he had gone to Jim's (Mr Land's) and that he had stabbed him and murdered him."

Being asked to recall what Monk's exact words were, Ms Newark continued: "Just that he stabbed him five or six times.

"I think he said that Jim threatened Andrew and that he stabbed him and that he wouldn't die, so he just carried on."

Ms Newark told the court that Monk seem calm when he was telling her what happened, but only seemed to become upset once she started panicking.

She said: "He didn't know what to do. He was saying 'what do I do, what do I do'.

"I thought it was a lie. I didn't think somebody could do that. But then the way he was he started raising his voice, it made me think that he was telling the truth.

"He said he loved me and that he was sorry."

The defendant also told Ms Newark that he had called a friend of his, Clive, and told him what had happened.

Mr Duncan asked Ms Newark: "By this point in the conversation how were you feeling?"

Ms Newark said: "Sick. I was having a panic attack at the time. I just felt sick.

"I didn't know if he was playing some silly hoax, a horrible hoax to get me home.

"I didn't wanna ring 999, so I called the actual police station.”

Monk was arrested just after midnight and told police that he had hidden his blood-stained clothes and the knife in Beckenham Place Park.

The trial continues.