A MAN standing trial for murder has addressed the victim's family from the witness box, telling them "I didn't kill Eamonn".
Christopher Power, who is originally from Co Offaly, is one of two men being tried at Belfast Crown Court for the killing of Eamonn Ferguson.
The 35-year-old from north Belfast was beaten to death with a claw hammer at a house in Ardoyne Place in March 2014.
Power (33), who described himself as a settled Traveller, rejected suggestions on Monday that he beat Mr Ferguson to death.
Addressing members of the family who sat in the public gallery, he said: "I never hurt Eamonn. I was good friends with him."
He added: "I would have stopped it, I promise you. If I knew his life was in danger, I would have warned him."
The accused told the court that he came to Northern Ireland from the Republic in 2013 and made money busking on the street with his guitar.
He said he became friends with Mr Ferguson due to a mutual love of music and he "showed me the sights and sounds of Belfast... I was very good friends with Eamonn".
Power and co-accused Louis Maguire (28) have both been charged with murdering Mr Ferguson in the early hours of Saturday, March 15, 2014 in the living room of Maguire's home.
At the time of the death, Power had been staying at Maguire's after losing his place in a city centre hostel.
Last week Maguire gave evidence that after drinking in the city centre, Power and Mr Ferguson went back to his house.
He claimed they had been arguing about money and as he turned his back to get a bottle of cider from the kitchen, Power grabbed a hammer and proceeded to beat Mr Ferguson to death.
The claims were rejected on Monday by Power, who pointed to where Maguire was sitting and said: "The coward that killed Eamonn is sitting in the dock."
"The God's honest truth is there was never so much as a wrong word between me and Eamonn. I had no problem with him. I liked him. He was a good friend of mine."
When asked what happened, Power said due to an alcoholic blackout he couldn't remember leaving the city centre and getting a taxi back to Maguire's, but he recalled waking in an upstairs bedroom in the early hours of the following morning.
He said he got up to go and get a drink from downstairs, and when he walked into the living room he noticed Mr Fergson "just wasn't lying right".
He said he then saw blood and a hole in his friend's head.
When asked where Maguire was, Power said he was sitting in a chair with a hammer in his hand.
He claimed his co-accused then got off the chair and told him "He done me in and I stiffed the bastard".
Power said he panicked and ran out of the house.
He denied burning blood-stained clothing, and said it was Maguire who suggested coming up with a story about going out for cigarettes and coming back to his house to find Eamonn dead.
He admitted lying to paramedics and police about what happened, but insisted he didn't hurt Mr Ferguson.
At hearing.