A jury trying a 21-year-old man accused of a murdering a teenager by knifing him in the chest in Sydenham High Street has retired to consider its verdict at the Old Bailey.

Marley Lucas, of Champion Road, Sydenham, has admitting stabbing Nathan Murray, 18, at lunchtime on June 1, this year, but denies murder.

After a 25-second argument with Mr Murray, Lucas used a broad-bladed knife to stab him in the chest - leaving him with a 17cm deep wound - before driving away in a black Fiat Punto at speed, the court was told.

Friends, police and paramedics desperately tried to save Mr Murray, who was also from Sydenham, but he died in hospital the following morning.

Today, the jury of eight women and four men were sent out to consider its verdict by Judge Stephen Kramer QC after hearing nine days of evidence.

Since Lucas’s release from prison in 2013, he had been making around £200 a week selling cannabis to earn some extra money while he studied painting and decorating, the jury was told.

And on six or seven occasions he had bought his drugs from Mr Murray’s friend Enver Mehmet, who Lucas had several "incidents" with in the months before June 1, including allegedly being kidnapped and threatened with a knife.

Mr Murray, who was known as 'erbs', had been convicted of multiple robberies, many of which involved stealing mobile phones from children, as well as drug offences, the court heard.

At the time of his death he was on police bail for an allegation of robbery and possession with intent to supply drugs, which required him to sign on at Lewisham police station every Monday and Friday.

Prosecutor Timothy Cray QC told the jury that whatever the 25-second argument was about, there was no need for Lucas to kill Mr Murray.

He said: "Young men, all over this city, can fall out and get annoyed but this defendant had many better choices than the one he made, which was to stab Nathan Murray to death."