Several witnesses said they saw and heard a silver car being driven erratically on the night a Bristol pensioner died trying to stop a car thief stealing his vehicle.

Bristol Crown Court has heard 76-year-old Walter Bollen was opening security gates in order to park in Horfield when Scott Couch jumped into the Skoda Octavia and tried to drive away.

When the OAP tried to wrench the younger man from the driver's seat he was flung to the ground and witnesses saw the car reverse, before being driven over his body.

Couch, 23, of Denny Isle Drive, Severn Beach, denies murder on November 29 last year.

Michael Fitton, prosecuting, told the court Couch was seen to walk into Green Close about the time Mr Bollen drew up and opened the gates.

He told the jury: "The evidence is that Scott Couch took it upon himself to take the Skoda driven by Walter Bollen.

"The opportunity would have appeared to have arisen in the short period of time it took for Mr Bollen to get through the gates into the car park which led to his own home."

Mr Fitton said Mr Bollen would have had to stop his car, get out, enter a code into a key pad and open the gates.

He said: "It might take a minute to carry out that process. Time enough for somebody who's bold enough and quick enough to take the chance to climb into the driving seat and take control of the car. That bold individual, that quick individual, was this defendant."

Liam Sinclair told the court he was in his bedroom in Green Close when he heard the revs of a car engine outside and saw what he thought was a silver VW outside the security gates.

He said: "I saw a white male who had grey hair. He ran to the driver's side whilst the door was open. I could not see into the car itself. They were struggling as he was wrestling with the person inside the car."

Mr Sinclair said the car reversed and the grey-haired man still appeared to be grabbing at the clothes of the person driving. He said: "The struggle was five to three seconds. The car reversed until I could see the front of it. The car made a bang, like a crunching sound, it paused for a second and it accelerated forward. I didn't see the grey-haired man again."

Lisa Wood said she was in the kitchen of a home in Green Close when she heard a bang or crash outside. She described seeing a silver car reverse, drive forwards, and then reverse again and move forwards. She thought it was a drink driver who had driven on the pavement and she called the police.

She told the jury: "I was still looking outside and I saw a lady in a pink dressing gown and slippers come out and look down. She screamed and ran back in."

Zdeno Lapko speaking via a Slovakian interpreter, said he heard a silver car crashing against something.

Debbie Palmer-Green, a researcher, said she was working at her computer when she heard a bang, looked out and saw a Skoda reversing into a railing before being driven off "in anger".

Though neighbours and police tried help Mr Bollen, paramedics who rushed to the scene pronounced him dead at just after midnight. A post-mortem examination showed he had suffered a fractured skull, broken ribs, a collapsed lung and major injuries to vital organs including his heart.

When Couch was arrested he denied being at the wheel, but later conceded he did take the car, was driving it when it went over the OAP, but he denied murder.

The case continues at Bristol Crown Court.