A UK court has heard how a Nigerian university student, Khaleed Oladipo, was allegedly stabbed to death by a former friend following a dispute over money linked to a fake Rolex watch.

Oladipo, 20, a third-year student of De Montfort University, was reportedly on the phone with his girlfriend when he was attacked on Oxford Street in Leicester on February 3. The accused, 18-year-old University of Leicester student Harper Dennis, has denied the murder charge.

Prosecutor Jane Osborne KC told Leicester Crown Court that Oladipo and Dennis had met through online gaming and were previously friends before their relationship deteriorated over money.

The court heard that Dennis had allegedly tried to sell a fake Rolex which Oladipo gave him, but a jeweller rejected the watch. Prosecutors said Dennis subsequently believed Oladipo owed him £3,000.

According to the prosecution, Dennis later confronted Oladipo outside the De Montfort University Innovation Centre, where the pair briefly struggled before Oladipo was stabbed.

Oladipo sustained six stab wounds, including five to his chest, with one penetrating his heart. The court heard that he remained on the phone with his girlfriend during the attack and asked Dennis why he had stabbed him.

The prosecution also alleged that Dennis had previously made threatening calls to Oladipo’s girlfriend and sent messages threatening to make him suffer.

Dennis, who was arrested shortly after the incident, is also charged with possessing a bladed article and failing to provide the PIN for his mobile phone.

The trial, which is expected to last three weeks, is ongoing.