Police officers did not make it clear goods were "stolen" when they sold them to three Oxford men in an undercover operation, a jury was told today.

Zafran Abbasi, 28, of Gaisford Road, Cowley, denies four charges of attempting to handle stolen goods at Oxford Crown Court.

James Sofidiya, 22, of Ridgefield Road, denies one count and Oghenetega Oketete, 20, of Gerard Place, Cowley, denies three counts.

The court heard on Tuesday how undercover officers offered the three men cheap laptops, DVDs and alcohol, and made reference to the fact they were stolen when asked.

Raana Sheikh, defending Oketete, asked one of the officers, known as "Baz", whether any conversations in which he said the goods were stolen had been recorded.

He said they had not, but said: "I had many conversations in which I'd say 'theft' or 'stealing' or that they were from a burglary, that would have led him to thinking the items were stolen."

Mrs Sheikh said: "It's simply not true."

The case continues.