Whether or not to convict four men of robbery and gun possession will depend whether a jury believes the victim’s version of events or not, a court heard yesterday.

Last minute DNA evidence threw doubt onto claims by Farid Yebbou that he was attacked and robbed while in bed at his ground floor flat in Woodley Close, Mitcham, by a gunman and three accomplices, a jury heard.

The defence barristers for Peter Nunes, Sylvanus Scott, Gary Mowatt and Kevin Rodgers said there was no robbery on October 16 last year and the gun allegedly used to threaten the victim was in fact his.

They claim there is no valid explanation as to why Mr Yebbou's DNA was found on the weapon's handle and elsewhere.

But Mr Yebbou insisted he was threatened at gunpoint by two men in his bedroom before they fled down the street onto London Road, Mitcham.

He claimed that he had gone out into the street afterwards, semi-clothed, to remonstrate with the robbers but said he did not recognise the men on trial.

The defence questioned how he knew there were four men involved when he only claims to have seen two inside his flat at the time.

Sarah Iskarous on behalf of Mr Nunes said his actions after being held up at gunpoint were astonishing.

She said: "If you were robbed at gunpoint by four men in your own home, are you really going to approach them and tussle with them, have a conversation outside?

"Why was he was not scared of them?

"Could it be because it is his gun and he knew full well there were no cartridges in it?"

But prosecutor Stephen Shay asked the jury to consider why the defendants were captured on CCTV running away from the house and tried to evade police by ‘driving dangerously.’

Mr Shay said: "They were escaping a botched robbery. They thought they were going to get money and gear and they didn’t get it.

"They went for the consolation prize and they didn’t get that. Mr Yebbou took it [the suitcase] off them.

"They were empty handed."

Mr Yebbou, an Algerian who at times struggled to understand questions put to him at earlier stages of the trial, was argumentative while in the dock and said he could not remember many details of the incident on October 16 last year.

However Mr Shay reminded the jury they were not basing their decisions on manners, but on honesty.

Mr Mowatt , 40, of Laura Place, Hackney, has denied dangerous driving, possession of a firearm and robbery.

Sylvanus Scott, 39, of Balham Grove, Balham, Kevin Rodgers, 41, of White Hart Lane, Tottenham, and Mr Nunes, 38, of Honeybrook Road, Balham, all denied robbery and possession of a firearm.

The case continues.