A DRUG dealer allegedly murdered by three men owed money to one of them, a jury was told.

Conlan Dunnion said Shafiul Islam, nicknamed ‘Chilly’ was in debt to his co-defendant Perrie Dunwell.

Dunnion was giving evidence in the witness box in his defence at his trial at Newport Crown Court.

Dunnion, Dunwell and Euan Peters are accused of the murder of 22-year-old Mr Islam at his flat in the city’s Tewkesbury Walk on November 14, 2019.

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Answering questions from his barrister, Caroline Rees QC, Dunnion told the jury he and Mr Islam were good friends.

He said he would not have wanted any harm to come to Chilly.

The court was told Dunnion and Mr Islam would go drinking together in Newport city centre and would keep in touch regularly via Snapchat.

The jury heard the defendant and his co-accused Dunwell were friendly but that Dunnion didn’t know Peters.

Dunnion said: “Chilly owed Dunwell money.”

Ms Rees asked him: “Was Mr Dunnwell worried about the debt or angry about the debt?”

He replied, “No.”

His barrister said: “Was there any problem between them?”

Dunnion answered: “No, not at all.”

Ms Rees added: “Was there any plan between you and Mr Dunnwell?”

The defendant said there wasn’t.

She continued: “Was there any talk about robbing him?”

He said no.

It is the prosecution’s case that Mr Islam was murdered following a planned robbery by the three.

Peters, 42, from Dros-y-Morfa, Rumney, Cardiff, has admitted conspiracy to rob Mr Islam.

Dunnion, 23, of Maesglas Avenue, Maesglas, Newport, and Dunwell, 33, of Cold Mill Road, Newport, deny conspiracy to rob.

The trio have pleaded not guilty to murder.

During the prosecution opening of the case, Mark Wyeth QC told the court Mr Islam was found by his neighbours lying blood-stained and motionless in a cupboard at a "ransacked" flat.

He claimed the alleged victim was targeted because he was a drug dealer.

Mr Wyeth said Peters had repeatedly struck Mr Islam to the head with a Kopparberg cider bottle he had taken from the Tawa Indian restaurant in the Spytty area of Newport.

The jury were shown CCTV footage of Peters and Dunwell sharing a meal hours before the alleged murder.

The prosecutor said blood belonging to Mr Islam was found in the living room and bedroom of the flat while the remnants of the bottle were also found.

Mr Wyeth said: “There’s strong forensic evidence that links that broken bottle to Mr Peters.

“That was a deliberate, gratuitous, violent and hard attack that was made by him with the concurrence of his two co-defendants.

“The prosecution will say there is fingerprint evidence, DNA evidence – a significant amount of evidence that demonstrates it was Mr Peters who used this bottle and struck Mr Islam repeatedly and caused those injuries.”

The trial continues.