JURY members in the trial of a man accused of murdering teenager Jimmy Mizen have heard how the defendant broke down in tears when speaking to police.

Sixteen-year-old Jimmy's jugular was cut after a glass dish was thrown at him following a row in the Three Cooks Bakery in Lee on May 10 last year.

A tape recording of defendant Jake Fahri speaking to officers after he was arrested on May 13 was played to jurors at the Old Bailey this morning.

During the recording Fahri described how he threw the dish at Jimmy.

Fahri broke down in tears, saying: "I didn't mean to hit him, I didn't, I just threw it. I thought he would put his hands up so he'd let go of the sign."

He continued: "I picked up the dish, I didn't think it would smash and I threw it at him.

"I might have been a bit lippy at the start you know but I didn't mean it to happen.

"I ran to my friend's house", the 19-year-old continued, "I couldn't breathe by then, my heart was beating fast."

Earlier in the interview Fahri described how he had "brushed past" Jimmy in a queue at the bakery.

He said this led the schoolboy to swear at him and say "don't touch me" before the row escalated into a fight.

Fahri also claimed he picked up the dish and threw it at Jimmy because he thought the teenager was about to hit him with an advertising board.

The court had earlier heard from forensic pathologist Dr Benjamin Swift who said the glass dish which cut the teenager's jugular must have been thrown with "severe" force.

After carrying out a post-mortem examination the day after Jimmy's death, the doctor found 35 separate injuries to the teenager's body including bruises, cuts and grazes.

He said Jimmy died from "excessive blood loss", adding "for the dish to impact and break into pieces and continue with sufficient force to break the skin and continue through to the bone, I would say it's more in the severe end of the force spectrum."

The jury was also told that Jimmy would have been "conscious, walking and maybe even talking.

"But as the blood loss progressed this could not have been managed, meaning death would have occurred minutes after the event."

He also told the court that bruising to the back of Jimmy's left hand was "consistent with someone who is punching out with their left fist", and that the cut to Jimmy's neck was 4cm deep and 3.3cm wide.

Members of the jury were later shown a replica of the dish which was thrown at Jimmy which was 27cm long, 17.5cm wide and 5cm deep and weighed around one kilogram.

Fahri, aged 19, of Milborough Crescent, Lee, denies murder and says he was acting in self-defence.

The trial continues.