A former crack cocaine-using friend of Nicky Robinson accused him of murdering Bristol teenager Kylee Dibble.

Jeffrey Ford used to smoke the drug with Robinson, whom he knew as "Nixon".

Mr Ford told Bristol Crown Court Robinson turned up at his flat with a scratched face on the Monday in February 2005 when Kylee was murdered.

He was behaving oddly, and Mr Ford said to him: "You done that little bird in Barton Hill."

His friend replied he would probably be in trouble as he had left clothes and DNA in the flat.

Robinson, 24, denies murdering 18-year-old Kylee in her flat at Corbett House, Barton Hill.

Robinson, who was living in the flats with his cousin, Leanne Revill, is alleged to have battered Kylee over the head, possibly in a row over drugs money, and set fire to her body.

Mr Ford said Nixon visited his flat in Bethel Road, St George, to smoke crack the night before Kylee died.

He said left at 5am on Monday and Mr Ford went to Barton Hill to buy drugs – where he found out someone had died in a flat fire.

Mr Ford told the jury Nixon came back around midday and was not his usual confident self.

He said he put two and two together and accused his friend of killing Kylee.

"It was the fact her flat had been burnt down," he said.

"I was under the impression he was using a Barton Hill flat for washing and changing and on one occasion he stayed there.

"He also appeared to have scratches down the right side of his face."

Mr Ford said Nixon told him he would be in trouble because he had left clothes and DNA behind, but said that the reason he had a scratched face was because he had been in a fight.

Mr Ford, concerned about what he heard, made a statement to police in January 2007 and signed it after Robinson had been arrested and charged in May 2007.

He told the court the reason he had delayed signing his statement was that he did not want to be responsible for someone being arrested on his say.

He later crossed paths with Robinson when they were both at Horfield Prison.

Mr Ford said Robinson attacked him with a cue ball in a sock on G Wing and they had to be separated by prison officers.

Michael Hubbard QC, defending, told the court Mr Ford had been in trouble for 124 criminal offences, which were mostly for dishonesty and some for violence.

Mr Ford agreed with this but stressed he had not caused major harm.

He told the court his nickname of Tweet was because he kept birds as a child – not because he "sang like a canary".

The court earlier heard Kylee was assaulted by a boyfriend known as 'T' before she was murdered.

Tanya Hardiman told the court she was in a relationship with T and he told her he was storing drugs at Kylee's flat in January and February 2005.

Miss Hardiman said T was staying with her on the morning Kylee was murdered.

She told the court T was arrested in connection with the murder and later went on the run.

She said he had become violent to her but she had not been forced to provide an alibi for him.

The case continues at Bristol Crown Court.