Two brothers from Old Malden travelled across Hampshire and relied on friends and family to house them after an acid attack in Southampton, writes Emily Ford.

Southampton Crown Court today heard how Geoffrey and Billy Midmore travelled to stay at a friend's house in Basingstoke and also with their cousin.

Jurors in the trial of Billy Midmore, 22, heard how Kirsty Nish welcomed the brothers and two others into her home in the early hours of September 19 last year.

Miss Nish told the court that she had only met Billy Midmore, who she originally knew as Max, once almost a week previously and he had stayed overnight at her house then.

She said: "I thought he was a nice guy."

Miss Nish said that she had been contacted by their mutual friend, known as Bones, that night and the group of four, including a female in her twenties arrived around 1am.

She told the court she had never met Geoffrey Midmore before or the female but had known 'Bones' for at least six months.

Geoffrey Midmore, 26, has pleaded guilty to one charge of GBH with intent, after Southampton mum Carla Whitlock, 36, became "virtually blind" after drain cleaner was thrown in her face outside of Turtle Bay in Guildhall Square on September 18 last year.

Billy has denied the same charge.

The court heard how when the group arrived at Miss Nish's house Billy went to sleep in her bed and Geoffrey, who had introduced himself as Jimmy, was sitting on a sheet on the sofa which she said was covered in black marks.

She said: "He had black marks on his trousers and a hole in his back pocket. I didn't want to touch it because I didn't want to get it on me.

"I didn't know why they wanted to come to my house. I had been told there was some trouble in Southampton and they wanted to stay."

Miss Nish said the group eventually left her home sometime later and the following week she saw the brothers on the news and realised who they were.

The court also heard from Geoffrey and Billy's cousin, Tiffany Pike, who told the court that the brothers had also come to stay at her house on the weekend of September 19.

Miss Pike said they arrived at about 8pm on September 19, she said: "They are family so I just thought they wanted to chill or something."

The mother of two told the court how Geoffrey appeared to have a rash all over his arms and chest which was "bright red" and the next day when she returned home from a child's birthday party, Billy told her that his brother had gone to hospital with chest pains.

She told the court: "Billy seemed a bit annoyed about it like Geoffrey was overreacting. Geoffrey came back and the doctors said he had a panic attack or something but he seemed fine."

Miss Pike also told the court that her cousins appeared to have at least £1,000 in cash between them that weekend and were talking on their phones with friends regularly.

She said on Monday, September 21 last year she came home from the morning school run and the brothers spoke to her about an incident in Southampton.

Miss Pike said: "They said about something was going to come out but they didn't do it. They said something had happened in Southampton and they said it was an attack. I then googled it and found out it was an acid attack and asked them to leave."

Billy Midmore, of no fixed abode, has pleaded not guilty to one count of causing GBH with intent.

The trial continues.