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Two killers stabbed a man to death then changed clothes in a nearby London mosque so they could successfully evade police, a court has heard.

Kamal Hussain, 22, and Yosef Ahmed, 18, are accused of attacking Zahir Visiter near his home on 28 March.

The Old Bailey was told the pair were spoken to by officers as they searched London Central Mosque, but they were let go as they had changed clothing.

The defendants, both of north-west London, deny murder.

The jury heard Mr Visiter had left his home in Hucknall Court with £280 to give to an unnamed person shortly after 18:10 BST.

Soon after, the 25-year-old was found fatally injured in nearby Cunningham Place and was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead about an hour later.

Prosecutor James Mulholland QC told the court no witnesses had seen the stabbing but “footage shows the two defendants at various stages” of the “pre-planned” attack.

“No-one else is anywhere near Mr Visiter – other than these two individuals – at the point of his collapse or at any stage before it,” he said.

The jury heard the two defendants had watched the victim “for just under a minute as others come to Zahir Visiter’s aid”.

‘Significantly altered appearance’

Mr Mulholland said they then ran to the mosque, beside Regent’s Park, where they changed their clothing in a washroom cubicle.

“This significantly altered their appearance. Both then left the building into the general environment of the mosque wearing T-shirts,” he said.

He told the Old Bailey police officers had begun a search of the mosque by that point and they were spoken to but allowed to leave “as their descriptions did not match those of the suspects”.

The pair had then arrested at a later date, but they had denied any involvement, the court was told.

The trial continues.