Murder accused Kyle McAuley told a detective he was 'going to do 30' as he was driven to Greenock police office

McAuley made the comment after he had been arrested for his part in the death of friend Kevin McCluskey, 28, at a flat in Nelson Street.

Detective Constable Craig Savage was giving evidence at the trial of the 30-year-old, who denies murder.

Prosecutor Greg Farrell asked DC Savage: “Did he say anything en route from Greenock to the police office?"

DC Savage said: “He said, 'I'm going to do 30.'

“I assumed that to be a reference to jail time.”

The jury saw CCTV footage of Mr McCluskey in Word Up in Greenock just hours before he died, play fighting with McAuley.

The two men, who were both unsteady on their feet, then hugged.

This was just before 9pm. At 5.40am the following morning McAuley made a 999 call saying he had returned from a night out and found a dead body in his Nelson Street home.

Constable Gillian Smith said that when she arrived at the flat in answer to the call, a body was lying half in the threshold of the door and half in the hall.

She said: "He had a purple towel covering his face, which I removed."

Constable Smith said she carried out CPR until being relieved by a colleague.

She said she then looked in the two bedrooms in the flat.

In one bedroom there was blood staining on the bed and blood spatter in the wall above the bed.

She said: “In the other there was a barbell with two weights on it which also had blood staining and there was blood on the carpet.”

Detective Constable Grant Spy told the jury he spoke to McAuley at Greenock police station shortly afterwards.

He said: “He said he had been on a night out and had returned home to find a dead body in his flat.”

DC Spy told the court he had tried to comfort McAuley and added: “He said he had been in the armed forces for a number of years and finding a dead body was not that distressing.”

McAuley is accused of murdering Mr McCluskey by repeatedly striking him on the head with a dumbbell.

He denies this and has lodged a special defence on self defence.

McAuley is also charged with behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by sending a post-mortem photograph of Mr McCluskey to two women - his then girlfriend and former partner

It is also alleged that McAuley moved Mr McCluskey's body from the bedroom to the entrance of the flat in Nelson Street and placed a knife on the floor near to the body in an attempt to defeat the ends of justice.

He denies all the charges against him.

The trial before Lord Mulholland continues.