A MAN accused of manslaughter was responsible for a friend being hit by two cars as he lay motionless in the road, a court was told.

Sagar Bhatti, 23, was in the middle of Woodside Avenue, Boyatt Wood, at around 5.30am on March 10 2019 when he was struck by the vehicles.

Kieran Hobbs, 31, who is alleged to have been with him at the time, is accused of Mr Bhatti's manslaughter.

Opening the prosecution case at Salisbury Crown Court, John Price said the two drivers were blameless and would not be facing any charges in connection with the accident.

But he added: "Who or what put him in harm's way? Who or what was the cause of him being in the road in the first place?

"The prosecution alleges that Kieran Hobbs was responsible for Mr Bhatti having been left in the road, unable to move.

"Mr Hobbs denies he did anything to Mr Bhatti and denies he told anyone he had done anything to Mr Bhatti. He told police he was nowhere near the scene of the road traffic collision and could not possibly have been responsible for him lying in the road.

"The prosecution says his statement that he was elsewhere at the time can be proved to be a lie.

"The evidence is that Mr Hobbs was right there when Mr Page's car struck Mr Bhatti. Mr Hobbs knew it had happened and he knew why it had happened. It was only after it had happened that he hastened to leave."

Mr Price said Mr Bhatti, of Avon Green, Chandler's Ford, died after a night out with friends.

After leaving The Station pub he and four other people, including Hobbs, went to a "man cave" shed in the garden of a house in Browsholme Close, the court was told.

Mr Price said Mr Bhatti was "exceedingly drunk"when he left the shed later that night.

A blood specimen taken during the post-mortem examination showed he was almost four times the drink-drive limit, the court was told.

Hobbs, of Yonge Close, Eastleigh. denies manslaughter. The trial is expected to last three weeks.