A shopkeeper whose killing was captured on his own store's CCTV was stabbed to death during a "one-man crimewave", a court has heard.

Alex Gunn, 31, is accused of the murder of 54-year-old Ravi Katharkamar at Marsh Food and Wine in Pinner.

Jurors at the Old Bailey were shown five video clips of the attack, which happened on March 24 shortly after Mr Katharkamar, who lived in Watford, had opened the shop for the day just before 6am.

In the footage a figure, said to be Gunn, approaches Mr Katharkamar in the back of the shop before drawing a knife and holding it against his throat.

The pair can be seen grappling around the shop before Mr Katharkamar is stabbed in the chest and collapses close to the entrance.

Prosecutor William Jones told the court Gunn was "sufficiently savvy" to cover himself with a balaclava and gloves, but told jurors his build, movements and other CCTV footage helped prove he was the killer.

Mr Katharkamar was discovered by a jogger who saw the 54-year-old on the floor and called the emergency services, who declared him dead at the scene at 6.45am.

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A police cordon in Marsh Road, Pinner, in March. Credit: PA

Gesturing towards Gunn in the dock, Mr Jones said: "We are concerned in this case with what might be called a one-man crimewave, that one man being that man."

The court heard the killing was part of a series of crimes committed to fund Gunn's drug habit, which also involved four burglaries and three thefts.

After the clip was shown to the jurors, Mr Jones said: "There was the moment he was stabbed and killed for the contents of his till.

"There is an awful escalation of the violence.

"There was no waving the knife and saying 'give us your money', from the word go the violence inflicted on Mr Katharkamar is at the utmost level.

"Ultimately, to get away with the till, the defendant stabbed and killed that shopkeeper."

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Credit: PA

The masked assailant can be seen running from the shop carrying the stolen till and getting into a black Vauxhall Astra, which Mr Jones said had been stolen by Gunn on March 13 from a house in Wembley.

Jurors were told that after stealing the car, Gunn was caught on several automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras driving to Marsh Food and Wine, arriving at 6.10am where he was caught on CCTV.

Mr Jones said: "Apart from the gloves and the face covering, you will notice that this is essentially identical to the footage we have already looked at of the murder.

"Same or similar size and build, same or similar clothing, the jogging bottoms with the elasticated ankles again, the same trainers."

The court heard that Gunn, of Pinner Grove, Pinner, visited Marsh Food and Wine twice in the stolen car before the fatal robbery, including one visit a week before "almost to the minute", Mr Jones said.

Gunn was driving the car when he was arrested five days later, with the prosecution claiming the 31-year-old changed the number plates to evade detection.

Mr Jones said: "The important fact is that on 29 March he was driving that car used in the commission of the robbery and the murder at Marsh Food and Wine."

He added that on the morning of the murder, Gunn visited his mother in Pinner at around 5.30am, staying at the house for around quarter of an hour before returning to the car.

Mr Jones told the court: "As you will see from the CCTV, having parked the car at about quarter to six, he appears to just sit in it for about 10 minutes, no doubt to summon the courage or nerve, if courage and nerve is what you need to run in and murder a shopkeeper."

The prosecutor continued: "Aiming to get back to Marsh Food and Wine for opening time when Mr Katharkamar was going to be opening up and on his own, he got back on the road."

Jurors were later told the shopkeeper suffered two knife wounds, one of which fractured a rib and punctured his lung and heart.

Gunn denies all charges, namely murder, robbery, four burglaries, three thefts (the Vauxhall and two sets of number plates), and two counts of possession of a bladed article.

The trial continues.