A football coach was today (Thursday) dramatically cleared of murdering his friend, Matthew Demko, over a £3,000 drug debt.

Micheal Jordan, 25, was accused of killing Mr Demko by hitting him over the head with a metal barbell and strangling him with wire in the garage of his home in Links Road, Ashtead, on April 4 last year.

The Old Bailey jury had heard how both men were involved in the dealing of cocaine and cannabis and how Mr Jordan owed his friend money from drugs sales he had performed on Mr Demko's behalf.

But Mr Jordan always denied murdering his friend and was found not guilty by an unanimous verdict.

The court had been told during the trial that Mr Jordan grew up as the eldest child of a respectable family of three children.

Jurors heard how the 25-year-old had spent large amounts on clothes and drugs and by the time of his friend's murder owed £5,000 to the banks in credit card bills, overdraft and bank loan.

Mr Jordan first met Matthew Demko at the age of 16 and became one of his wide circle of friends.

Mr Demko, of Gainsborough Road, Epsom, had studied at Pangbourne College in Reading after winning a sports scholarship and as a teenager played alongside England rugby star Paul Hodgson in the Sutton and Epsom under 15s.

He worked as a landscape gardener with Glendale Grounds Management but made his money selling cocaine and cannabis.

Mr Jordan had money problems and often had to make excuses as to why he could not pay the money he owed.

On March 12 2008, he claimed he had been robbed of £1,000 by three men in a car near the level crossing in Ashtead.

Mr Demko agreed to supply him another ounce of cocaine for a party on March 28 2008 to help him pay off the debt but the next day Mr Jordan claimed he could not find the cash in his room.

By April 4 2008 Mr Jordan owed Mr Demko £3,600 and a meeting was arranged that night after the victim sent a text reading: "Phone straight away. No messing. Don't stress me."

Mr Demko was due to see his dealer in Fulham that night and needed the money to pay him off. His landlord was also threatening to throw him out of his flat unless he paid the rent he owed.

He arrived at the Jordan family home in Links Road at around 5pm and met his friend in the garage.

At around 5.30pm Mr Jordan went to his father in the main house, "saturated" in blood, and told him: "Matt has been attacked".

Jordan Snr, who had been preparing for a dinner party, returned to the garage with his son to find Mr Demko lying on his back in the corner in a pool of blood two metres square.

Blood had been sprayed across the floor and up the walls from the force of the blows to the victim's head.

His skull and jaw had been shattered, his throat had been smashed and an electrical cable had been tied around his neck.

The killer had battered him over the head 11 times – then bent over the body and hit him again as he lay on the ground until his face was disfigured beyond recognition.

During the 999 call timed at 5.32pm, Mr Jordan told the operator that "some dreadful accident has happened to the unfortunate Mr Demko".

A helicopter ambulance flew to the house but nothing could be done to save Mr Demko.

Mr Jordan told police that he had gone back to the house to get a CD for Mr Demko and returned to find him dead.

The 25-year-old claimed to have seen a mystery man walking away from the garage, although he could only describe him as dressing like X Factor judge Simon Cowell.

He said he had given Mr Demko £3,000 in an envelope, which had now disappeared, but officers noticed him trying to stuff an envelope containing just £700 into his pocket.

Jordan maintained his "mystery man" defence at trial and claimed the attack must have happened in the three minutes he was in the main house.

He told jurors: "I saw a man walking away from the garage. It was a couple of seconds and I had no reason to look at him.

"I didn't see any blood on him at all. There was nothing distinctive about him.

"I carried on straight to the garage. At first I just saw Matt on the floor and I think I said something along the lines of: 'Get up you d**k'.

"Then obviously a second passed and I realised he wasn't messing around. Initially I didn't appreciate the extent of the injury. I did notice blood. He was on his back, face up.

"I bent down, realised he was injured. I shook him, shouted at him. I might have bent down and cradled him at that point.

"I gave him about five seconds worth of CPR. I said: 'Matt I will go and get someone' and attempted to put him in the recovery position.

"When I was doing that I noticed a head injury. That's when I thought 's***'.

Jordan has no previous convictions but was cautioned twice in July 2005 for possession of cannabis.