THE MAN accused of conspiring to kill his former step-mum denied ever making allegations that she abused him as a child in a bid to recruit her killer, a court heard.

Giving evidence for a third day at Winchester Crown Court, Ben Carr admitted that Pennie's threats to resurrect historic allegations that he had indecently assaulted girls, couldn't have come at a "worst" time in his life.

Under cross-examination from prosecutor Richard Smith QC, Carr agreed that due to his dad's upcoming wedding and his own prospects of a new job working with children, the threats left him "seething".

Carr insisted to jurors it was these issues he revealed to Justin Robertson, the man accused of Pennie's murder, before they came up with a plan to scare her.

He denied the prosecution's claim that he told Robertson lies about the mum of five abusing him as a child, in a bid to persuade him to agree to kill her.

Mr Smith asked Carr why, when Robertson allegedly confessed to killing Pennie to two different people, did he describe her as someone who was a paedophile.

Carr said Robertson made that up himself adding "he's saying that to justify why he's killed a woman" because that is not "acceptable" even in prison.

Robertson, 36, is accused of stabbing to death the supermarket worker in a field at Leygreen Farm, near Beaulieu, on September 2, last year. He is also charged with conspiring to kill her.

Carr, 22, or Edward Road, Shirley and Samantha Maclean, 28, of Beech Crescent, Hythe, are also charged with conspiracy to murder.

They all deny the charges.

Carr also admitted that the pair spent "hours" hatching their plot to scare Pennie and that Maclean had no part in it.

But under questioning from Mr Smith, Carr claimed he didn't know the exact details of what was going to happen and didn't even know where the horse field was.

Mr Smith asked that if he didn't know the exact details, what were they discussing during the hours of contact between them and why, as this was so important to Carr because it affected his whole family, why didn't he insist on knowing everything.

Carr said he was just getting updates and he left the "finer details" to Robertson.

Proceeding.