A jury has been shown the weapons a man has admitted he used to kill his brother-in-law.

The sledge-hammer and a single-bladed axe with a hammer head were recovered by police from a farm murder accused Jimmy Smith rented from his sister's partner Alex Cameron.

Constable Scott Dickson said he spotted the weapons in the kitchen-diner of West Cairns Farm, near Kirknewton, West Lothian, when he visited as part of a police search party looking for Mr Cameron's body.

He said Mr Smith, 58, who is on trial at the High Court in Livingston, put two envelopes, marked Police and Helen, on the table in front of him.

He opened the Police envelope and read what turned out to be a signed confession by Mr Smith setting out how he had allegedly used the weapons to kill Mr. Cameron.

PC Dickson read the two-page letter in which Mr Smith admits killing Mr Cameron at the farm on January 19.

He claimed landlord Mr Cameron had arrived screaming abuse that he was keeping horses there and shouting at him and his wife to get out.

Smith wrote: "I stepped back a few yards from him and said: 'Over my dead body' to which he went into a mother screaming abuse then run at me swinging the bag at my head.

"I tried to duck and lost my footing, falling on my back, and I knew he was going to kill me as he was starting to swing the bag on my face... He stamped on my right foot, losing his footing as I pulled my leg away from him, and (I) managed to get up onto my knees.

"All that I can remember thinking was: 'I can't let him shoot Helen'."e, claiming the deceased attacked him first and threatened to shoot his wife.

He also denies to attempting to defeat the ends of justice.

The trial before Lord Matthews continues.