A MAN accused of carrying out a knifepoint robbery outside a church has claimed a knife found in his pocket was only there because he had put on the wrong jacket that morning.

Barry Bloom, of Rotary Way, Banbury, and Patrick Broderick, of Paradise Street, Oxford, are both accused of robbery and Broderick is accused of possession of a knife.

At their trial at Oxford Crown Court, Bloom, 38, had already admitted another charge of possessing a knife after police found a seven-inch kitchen knife in his trouser pocket immediately after the incident near The Beacon drop-in centre, Banbury on May 17 last year.

Answering questions in front of the jury of four men and eight women yesterday Bloom said that he had woken up that morning before downing a number of high strength cans of alcohol.

He had been using the 'dangerous' knife to trim his carpet after a dog had caused damage to it, he told the court.

He said that he spotted his co-defendant Broderick 'chatting' with the victim that day and accepted he did push him but that there was no robbery.

When police stopped the pair he claimed the knife had been left in his pocket 'by mistake.' The trial continues.