TWO teenage boys discovered the lifeless body of an Iraqi refugee after he had been strangled to death and set on fire at his home in The Meadows, a court heard.
The boys, aged just 15 and 17, found Hama Faraj Noori dead in his bathroom, lying face-down on the floor and covered in ash.
Pawel Bugajski, 22, of Claypole Road, Hyson Green, and Patryk Strutkowski, 22, of Alfreton Road, Radford, are on trial at Nottingham Crown Court accused of his murder.
It is alleged that they strangled him with a belt and a sleeping bag cord and set his body on fire at his home in Uppingham Gardens. Both defendants deny the charge.
Yesterday, the jury heard a summary of police interviews and statements given by the teenagers, which described the scene they discovered at Mr Noori's house.
The boys had befriended the 56-year-old, who they knew as "Alan", and decided to visit him on the evening of Saturday, January 25.
Prosecutor Michael Burrows QC read out a statement given by the 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons.
It read: "At some time between 7 and 7.30pm (on January 25) we entered the gate into Alan's back garden. We didn't see anyone else around.
"I noticed there were no lights on in the flat, which was unusual. I could hear a fire alarm and smelt burning.
"I knocked on the back door three times but there was no answer. I knocked again a bit louder but again, nobody answered.
"Alan would normally answer straight away.
"The door was closed, so I tried the handle and opened it slightly.
"We went inside. The living room was messy which wasn't normal.
"The TV was off the wall and lying on the sofa. There were clothes all over the living room."
The court heard how his friend then called the teenager into Mr Noori's bathroom.
The statement continued: "I could see Alan lying on the floor. He was lying diagonally across the bathroom floor with his head towards the sink.
"He was face down with the shower curtain across him covering part of his body.
"I could see his legs, which were straight out. I couldn't see his face because of the shower curtain. Part of the shower curtain was smoking, as if it had been on fire."
The second boy, aged 15, told police: "I saw Alan on the floor and shouted at him three times 'are you all right?'. There was no reply.
"Alan was lying on his front with his foot up off the ground. It was definitely Alan because he was wearing the same jeans he had been wearing on Friday."
The jury was also told that blankets, towels and other combustible materials had been placed on top of Mr Noori as part of an attempt to destroy his body.
The boys went outside to get help and within ten minutes, police and paramedics were on the scene.
The accused accept they went to Mr Noori's house and were drinking with him but claim they lost self-control over something he did.
The prosecution argue that Mr Noori's actions would not have caused them to fear serious violence themselves and they were much bigger than the deceased.
The trial continues.