The landlord of the man accused of murdering Bradford prostitute Maureen Stepan told Sheffield Crown Court how he planned to evict him over unpaid debts.

Ellison Stirk described how he stayed up past midnight on the night Miss Stepan died waiting for George Naylor to come back to the room he rented in Alva Terrace in Shipley.

The landlord, who lived next door to the property, told a jury of six men and six women that he did not see Naylor return that night and it was only two days later that he confronted him over the unpaid bills.

Cross examining, Franz Muller QC said Mr Stirk, who came into court using a white stick, said the reason he had waited up on three consecutive nights was solely to get the money he owed.

Mr Muller said: "You were worried he might leave without giving you the money, weren't you?" Mr Stirk insisted he was more concerned about getting Mr Naylor out of the property.

When questioned by Mr Muller about the state of his eyesight, Mr Stirk conceded he had been blind in his left eye since 1977 and had only partial sight left in his right eye.

George Naylor of Castle Square, Newcastle Upon Tyne denies the murder of Maureen Stepan on June 8 1995.

Last week the court heard from a witness from Huddersfield, who had met crack addict Maureen as a punter in Manningham in August 1994 and later took care of her while she worked as a prostitute.

He described how he found her body on the evening of June 9 at her flat in Girlington with black cloth stuffed into her mouth.

The case continues.

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