Two Enfield men are among six standing trial after a gang tried to steal £50,000 worth of cannabis and murdered a man who stood in their way.

Wesley Hendrickson, 31, of Ashford Crescent, and Durald Sokoli, 27, of Ayley Croft, have denied murder, attempted murder, and aggravated burglary.

A jury heard six men drove from London to Southend, before raiding a flat full of cannabis and viciously slaughtering one man and tried to kill another, who fled out of a window.

The victim, Asqeri Spaho, was stabbed seven times during the raid, with the worst wound measuring 18 centimetres and puncturing his lung.

Prosecuting at Basildon Crown Court yesterday, Edmund Burge said the gang had gone to Tintern Avenue in Westcliff on December 12, 2019, armed with knives and swords. They took duvet cases to bag up the drugs.

Mr Burge said: “At 2am on the 12th, two car loads of men drove together in convoy from North London to Southend.

“We say they were on their way to Southend for an attack on a cannabis farm set up inside a house in Southend, sometimes called a grow house. It was in an upstairs flat and loft in Tintern Avenue.

“In the early hours, these six men drove out to Southend in order to steal from it. It was about £50,000 worth of cannabis plants.

"They had knives, pillow cases, duvet cases in order to stuff them in and get out of the house.

“They brought with them long sword-type knives and a flick knife.” The swords measured 14 inches.

He said at least three of them went into the flat from the rear, when they attacked Mr Spaho and another man, who the prosecution say were working as ‘gardeners’.

He said: “The fight started and the intruders forced their way in and started attacking the gardeners. Both were asleep, unarmed and taken by surprise.”

Mr Burge said that while only a certain number of the defendants allegedly entered the home, the prosecution say all six are guilty of the murder by joint enterprise.

He added: “The prosecution says it must have been a savage, sustained and brutal attack.”

Also standing trial are Mitchell Harris, 29, of no fixed address; Scott Heaney, 22, of Hurlock Street, Highbury; Brian Kinloch, 31, of Beachcroft Way, Upper Holloway; Leon Wright, 31, of Highbury New Park. They have denied murder, attempted murder, and aggravated burglary.

The trial, which is expected to last nine weeks, continues.