Christine CunninghamA man accused of strangling another man he met through a Norwich probation hostel denied to police that he had anything to do with the killing and said the first he knew about the death was when he saw it reported in the newspapers.Christine Cunningham

A man accused of strangling another man he met through a Norwich probation hostel denied to police that he had anything to do with the killing and said the first he knew about the death was when he saw it reported in the newspapers.

Royston Jackson is said to have strangled Gordon Boon, a convicted sex offender, to death after they met at the John Boag probation hostel in the city.

The jury at Norwich Crown Court has heard that Jackson had been living in the hostel following his release from prison for the murder of 16 year-old Stephen Raven in 1989.

Mr Boon's partly clothed body was found on October 6 2008, hidden under fencing panels in Rabbit Lane, Great Witchingham, near the headquarters of Bernard Matthews, after his family reported him missing when he failed to meet up with his son as arranged.

Jackson, 43, of Pettus Road, Norwich, has denied murdering Mr Boon.

In police interviews read to the jury today, Jackson said he had been concerned about his friend, Mr Boon, when he found he had gone missing and had been trying to phone and text him to find out where he was.

When a body was found in Great Witchingham he had said: 'Oh my God, I hope it is not Gordon.'

He said that he had then panicked when he found out it was Mr Boon: 'I saw Gordon had been murdered. It was in the paper.'

Jackson said he did not know anything about death only what he had read in the papers and what was on the radio and said he remembered that the headline in The Sun was 'not very nice' and there was also a picture of Mr Boon.

'That was the first confirmation I had.'

Jackson said he had run away and breached the terms of his release as he was concerned he might be recalled to prison and said: 'Not that I have done anything wrong.'

However he thought because of his previous conviction he would immediately come under suspicion.

He told police that he had got on well with Mr Boon and only knew about his past offending after reading the article in the paper.

'We always got on well and I never had a problem.'

He told police that rather than interviewing him they should be looking for the person who was responsible for Mr Boon's death and said that there was no evidence against him: 'I have nothing to do with the murder of Gordon Boon.'

He told police he was bi-sexual and said he had never had any sexual relationship with Mr Boon.

Jackson admitted he had seen Mr Boon on the Friday before he disappeared but said it was just for a few seconds to pick up a film and officers told him he was probably the last person to see Mr Boon alive. He also said that scratches on his arms and legs were caused by his work as a turkey catcher.

But in later interviews when further evidence was available to police, Jackson made no comment but just made a statement saying that he nothing to do with the death of Mr Boon and also claimed that he had never heard of Rabbit Lane where the body was found.

The trial continues.