A BRITISH soldier accused of killing a Danish tour guide in Cyprus accused one of his two co-defendants of taking away the woman who was later found battered to death, a Cypriot court was told today.

A police officer stationed at the British bases in Cyprus told the Assize Court in Larnaca that rifleman Jeff Pernell, 23, had blamed co-defendant Alan Ford for what happened to the woman they are charged with killing - 23-year-old Louise Jensen.

Inspector Democritos Georgiou told the court that shortly after the three soldiers were detained near the Dhekelia base, Pernell told him: ``Alan did it. I stayed in the car and can't remember anything else, I was drunk.''

Georgiou quoted Parnell as saying: ``The girl was sitting behind with Alan. I was sitting in front. Alan got out of the car and returned alone.''

Ford sat expressionless as Georgiou read the statement.

Pernell and co-defendants Justin Fowler and Ford, both 27, stationed at Dhekelia, have denied charges of abduction, conspiracy to rape, and the manslaughter of Miss Jensen, who worked in the holiday resort of Ayia Napa, last year.

Fowler is from Falmouth, Ford from Birmingham, and Pernell from Oldbury, West Midlands.

The three soldiers serving with the Royal Greenjackets are accused of bundling the woman into their yellow mini moke after knocking her off her boyfriend's motorcycle on the outskirts of the resort.

Pernell's defence lawyer, Antonis Andreou, urged the court to rule Georgiou's testimony inadmissible. He said the accused was not in a position to give a voluntary statement at the time because he was drunk.

The court is expected to issue a ruling on the point raised by the defence tomorrow.-Reuter/AP.