Murder accused 'told of sugar daddy'

And, after going with her boyfriend to get money from Mr Sherratt, a waiting driver said he heard Emma Bate complaining she had the wrong Pin number for his bank card.

Bate, aged 26, of Gladstone Street, Birmingham, denies murdering Mr Sherratt, formerly of Stourbridge and Kinver, at his flat in Old School Mews, Bridgnorth, on June 13 last year. She has pleaded guilty to robbing him.

Her boyfriend, Paramjit Singh, aged 32, of Willmore Road, Birmingham, has admitted murder and robbery. Michael Smith, aged 51, of Horton Street, Tipton, denies robbery.

Smith told police during an interview that he had been a client of Bate and, some time before Mr Sherratt's death, she said she had "met a sugar daddy", the jury at Stafford Crown Court heard yesterday.

He added that she said the man had paid for her to go to Dubai but her passport had not arrived in time. Smith said she had offered him £100 to drive her and Singh to Bridgnorth to "pick money up from a friend".

He claimed he stayed in the car while Bate and Singh went up some steps to a flat.

After about 10 minutes she came running past saying she was going to the cashpoint. However, a few minutes later she ran back and said it was the wrong Pin, the jury heard.

Smith said Bate went back up the steps and he heard her arguing with someone. He said she went back to the cash machine and returned to the flat before coming back to the car with Singh and a bag containing bottles of cider.

The jury had earlier heard that Bate, a cocaine addict, told police she organised the robbery to pay off a drug dealer. Bate had also said she knew Mr Sherratt had been injured but only found out he had died on the TV news.

She claimed Mr Sherratt told her his Pin number a couple of days before he went to Dubai alone in May 2012 and he also gave her some money to tide her over while he was away.

The trial continues.