A MAN accused of stealing perfume from a supermarket told a court he only went there to buy cat food.

Mohammed Sheikh, 54, of Cawdor Street, Farnworth admits he was at the Asda in Brackley Street, Farnworth, on October 23, 2018, but denies robbery. He has already pleaded guilty to theft from the supermarket on a different day.

Sheikh and Shahzad Khan, 43, of Campbell Court, Farnworth, are accused of pulling a knife on a security guard and a shopper who tried to stop them.

As the pair were tackled in the car park Sheikh was heard to tell his accomplice: “F*** it, get the knife”.

Khan denies possessing a flick knife, claiming he was not at the supermarket.

Using an interpretor, Sheikh told the jury he had been in the UK for 34 years.

He said he had gone to buy cat food but decided to steal some perfume because he needed money for alcohol and drugs.

Khan, who said his co-accused was trying to "save his own skin", was shown CCTV of a man matching his description in the store but denied it was him.

"That could be any Asian man," he said. "We all look the same don't we?"

The trial continues.