The man accused of murdering teenager Nilanthan Murddi was outnumbered by the teen's friends, one of whom was armed with a hammer a court has heard.

Steven Braithwaite, 31, is accused of murdering the 17-year-old Tamil student by stabbing him in the neck in a racially provoked attack.

Nilanthan had been celebrating a birthday by drinking with a group of friends on the corner of Sumner Road.

One of the people he argued with was Mr Braithwaite after he allegedly yelled “Pakis” from the back of a cab on Sumner Road, the Snaresbrook Crown Court jury was told.

It is alleged Mr Braithwaite returned after the cab drove off to continue his fight with his victim.

Snaresbrook Crown Court heard evidence from two of Nilanthan’s friends who were celebrating with him when he was killed.

Abirathan Uthayakumar and Ragdeep Singh were among the group of men who were drinking Courvoisier and Jack Daniels in a car park at the junction of Sumner Road and London Road.

Mr Singh said Nilanthan was not a big drinker and was drunk and starting fights with passers by.

Mr Singh, 23, described how he took his younger friend aside and advised him to “chill out” and enjoy the celebration.

Defence barrister John Coffey QC said when Mr Braithwaite walked up Sumner Road he was outnumbered by the youths during a confrontation.

He said: “The defendant Braithwaite was confronted by a number of young men and having been struck on the head by a bottle he began to move backwards and a number of you were pursuing him down Sumner Road.”

Mr Uthayakumar said he went after Mr Braithwaite armed with a hammer when he heard the argument because he thought the labourer might be armed.

He said: “I had a hammer I found in the construction.

“It was for self defence.

“I went around the corner and I saw Nilanthan fall against the blue construction.

“He dropped holding his neck, I thought this guy punched him then I saw the blood.”

When he saw Nilanthan fall to the ground he said he swung the hammer at Mr Braithwaite who was backing away from him down London Road.

He initially told the jury he stumbled across the weapon lying around the construction site in the car park.

“I did not know it was there, I found it there.”

However under intense questioning from Mr Coffey QC, he admitted he had told the police he put the hammer aside in the car park two days previously.

Under cross examination Mr Uthayakumar also said he had been convicted of assaulting another person with a meat cleaver on May 18 at Croydon Crown Court.

He hit the person on the head with the meat cleaver which he said he had hidden on a roof just 10 metres from Sumner Road.

He was sentenced to 100 hours community service and fined £200.

Mr Coffey suggested to both witnesses that Mr Braithwaite was not the same person who was in the back of the cab.

Both disagreed with him.

Mr Singh said he recognised him as a local person he had seen a few times on London Road.

The trial continues.