Pub staff tried to hide CCTV footage showing a man being chased into the path of a van, the Old Bailey has heard.

The landlord of Hampton Court’s Cardinal Wolsey pub, Rostram Notarki, is charged with manslaughter after he allegedly, on September 7, chased Charles Hickox, 53, into the path of an oncoming van while wielding an ironing board.

Mr Notarki, his son, Kian, and Mehrad Mohmadi are also charged with perverting the course of justice after allegedly attempting to hide CCTV footage from police.

Sogal Ghiasvane, who began working at the Cardinal Wolsey just days before Mr Hickox died outside, said she saw Mr Mohmadi looking in a cupboard under the bar’s till shortly after the incident.

She said: “I think that was where the CCTV was or maybe on the other side. They were talking about CCTV inside the building. Mr Rostram said ‘leave it’ is all I heard.

“That was my impression that he [Mr Mohamadi] had access to it [the CCTV] but I am not fully sure about that.

“I remember he said something about checking the staff from home or something.”

Ms Ghiasvane said Mr Hickox had come into the pub for the second time that evening carrying two tennis rackets and began swearing and talking in a rude manner. He had previously been in the pub hours earlier and ordered three bottles of its most expensive Italian wine, valued at £65 each.

He also took two “metal mice with red eyes” from a carrier bag and began speaking to them.

She said: “I was worried about the whole situation because he was drunk. I was really scared. I thought he was going to hit me with one of the tennis rackets.

“I went over to the other side of the bar to keep working and keep myself busy.

“The way he was he really scared me.”

Janos Morvai, a sous chef at the Cardinal Wolsey, was in the kitchen when he heard raised voices just outside. He said: “I believe the big man [Mr Hickox] hit him [Rostram Notarki] with the racket.

“Mr Notarki was on the floor and the big man was running.

Video footage shown to the court appeared to show Mr Morvai follow Mr Hickox out of the side entrance followed by Mr Notarki, who overtook him.

Mr Morvai said: “There was an ironing board involved somehow.

“Mr Notarki somehow lifted up the ironing board and somehow reached the man. He lost balance and fell in the road and the car hit the guy.

“It happened very quickly. We were running and somehow the next picture is the man just fallen.

“Somehow I think the ironing board hit the man here [indicates the back of his head].”

Mr Hickox was hit by the van just after 7.30pm and was pronounced dead at the scene in Hampton Court Road at 8.33pm.

Rostram Notarki denies manslaughter but admits he was involved with concealing the CCTV footage. Kian Notarki and Mr Mohmadi deny perverting the course of justice.

The trial continues.