Asif Rehman, 20, and Adel Ishaq, 19, are on trial in Kilmarnock for the killing of William McKeeney, 57, in a street in Pollokshields in Glasgow.
William was from Malin Head and had been living in Glasgow with his partner.
Yesterday witness Imran Khan, 19, told the court he had a call from Ishaq before the alleged attack.
He said he heard Mr McKeeney ask: “Is there a problem here, lads?#8221;
He said: “I answered and said ‘hello’ but there was no reply. I could hear their voices talking in English.
“They were running with that shaking, windy noise although it wasn’t a windy night. They sounded drunk and hyped.”
Mr Khan said he recognised Mr McKeeney’s voice. The Donegal man was his neighbour.
He said: “It was an Irish voice and my first thought was that it was Willie’s voice.
“I heard the Irish voice saying, ‘Is there a problem here lads? What’s the problem'”.
Mr Khan told the court: “I didn’t look outside my window because I didn’t know it was happening outside my house.”
The witness said that about five minutes later Mr Ishaq phoned back and asked where Mr Khan was.
“He said it very aggressively and it was like whispered shouting, like he was hiding somewhere,” Mr Khan added.
He said Mr Rehman then took the phone and warned Mr Khan not to walk out as they had just “splattered” someone outside his house.
Mr Khan admitted giving a statement to police in which he refused to supply names.
Asked why that was the case by advocate depute Tim Niven-Smith, Mr Khan said: “Because I didn’t want to be a grass.”
Mr Khan flinched as he was handed a picture of Mr McKeeney lying dead in hospital. Mr Niven-Smith told him: “You are here to give evidence.”
Mr McKeeney died at the city’s Victoria Infirmary.
Mr Rehman and Mr Ishaq are alleged to have repeatedly punched and kicked William, and stamped and jumped on his head and body.
The prosecution allege William was attacked because he was white.
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