TWO men who robbed and killed a drug courier before spending his money at a brothel have pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

Lee Williams and Christopher Jones made the plea this afternoon, just two days into a murder trial following the death of Shkelzen Dauti in March.

The prosecution has accepted the pleas, and the pair will both be sentenced for manslaughter and robbery at Winchester Crown Court on Thursday.

Williams will also be sentenced for possession of a bladed article, after admitting the charge.

It comes after the prosecution, led by Tahir Khan, QC, finished the opening of his case today.

Today, Mr Khan presented the jury with CCTV images of the two men entering a brothel in Reading, hours after they had attacked Mr Dauti in Southampton.

Mr Dauti, an illegal immigrant from Albania, was found with a stab wound in Gilpin Close, Thornhill, in the early hours of March 11 this year.

Police tracked Williams and Jones, arresting them as they attempted to return to Wales, where both are originally from.

They were charged with the murder of Mr Dauti - for which they pleaded not guilty.

But yesterday, the pair pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter.

They will appear before Judge Keith Cutler on Thursday and face a maximum life sentence.

Ahead of the hearing, Detective Chief Inspector Liz Williams from Hampshire Constabulary, said: “This was an unprovoked, violent and needless attack that Lee Williams and Christopher Jones carried out to satisfy their own greed.

“I would like to recognise the efforts of our uniformed colleagues who responded and helped secure vital evidence, our specialist officers who worked tirelessly to track Williams and Jones before and after the incident, and our partner agencies who worked with us to ensure the community continued to feel safe.

“I extend my sincere condolences to his parents and his fiancée for their loss, I hope this verdict goes some way towards easing their pain.”