London: A hammer attacker appeared “completely calm” just an hour after he left three Emirati sisters for dead, a court heard on Thursday.

Philip Spence, 33, repeatedly struck his victims with a claw hammer as their children lay sleeping at the plush Cumberland Hotel near Marble Arch, central London.

Khulood, 36, and her sisters Ohoud, 34, and Fatima, 31, suffered fractured and “splintered” skulls after the terrifying attack in the dead of the night.

He then ransacked designer handbags, precious jewellery and iPads before taking the night bus to Neofitos “Thomas” Efremi’s north London flat.

Spence was a regular visitor to the 57-year-old’s home where the pair would smoke crack cocaine, Southwark Crown Court heard.

But Efremi denied any knowledge of the attacks and said Spence had simply said the suitcase of stolen valuables were “lifted” from a tourist.

Efremi appeared in the witness box wearing a black suit, white shirt and dark red tie and spoke in a clear voice as he insisted he had not known about the attacks.

The pair had spent the day taking drugs at Efremi’s flat with homeless “street-girl” Nancy before Efremi ordered Spence to go home and sleep.

It was after Spence left his flat on April 5 that he carried out his savage attacks.

“The Crown are saying that you have conspired together with Mr Spence to commit aggravated burglary,” said Efremi’s lawyer Harry Potter.

“Not at all, I would never ever get involved in anything like this and if I had known what he had done after he had done it I wouldn’t have done what I done,” replied Efremi.

On the way home from the attack Spence used Khulood’s mobile phone to repeatedly call Efremi.

When Efremi finally picked up Spence demanded he dial a drug dealer and boasted he had some money, jurors heard.

“What sort of state was he in,” asked Potter.

“Completely calm, he looked a little bit sweaty,” replied Efremi.

Spence concealed the hammer in a brown leather jacket which was later found with spots of the victim’s blood on it.

But Efremi said he did not see any blood on Spence.

Efremi said: “That jacket belonged to my dead brother, he had been wearing it for the last three of four weeks whenever he felt like wearing it, whenever the weather was bad.”

Potter said: “He said you encouraged him to take that jacket so he could conceal the hammer.”

“That is absolute rubbish,” replied Efremi.

“At that point did he tell you he had been in the Cumberland Hotel and attacked three women?

“No.”

Efremi said Spence opened the stolen brown suitcase a few inches, fished out a purse containing bank cards and instructed him to get cash out.

Just five minutes after Spence arrived at the flat, Efremi headed out with stolen bank cards belonging to youngest victim Fatima.

She had kept her pin hidden in her wallet inside her pink handbag, jurors heard.

Efremi caught a taxi and demanded they took him to multiple cash points where he withdrew £5,000 in cash from the cards before they were blocked by the banks.

When he returned Spence revealed the contents of the suitcase to him, Efremi told jurors.

Efremi estimated there was about £10,000 in cash in multiple currencies, around 20 pairs of earrings, 20 rings and a “very particular” diamond studded bracelet.

He insisted he knew nothing about that attacks on the women and took nothing but the cards he was handed by Spence.

“I would never enter into any arrangement involving violence or anything like that,” he said.

‘Hotel creeper’

“I have done a bit of fraud, that is it, that is all I have done.”

Two days later CCTV cameras captured Efremi splashing out on a new iPhone in a Vodafone shop and visiting a Sports Direct store in Angel, north London.

Efremi refused to be interviewed following his arrest but referred to Spence as a “hotel creeper” — someone who breaks into hotels looking for somewhere to sleep.

Efremi has racked up previous convictions dating back to 2003 for multiple offences of shoplifting.

He was convicted in June 2009 for possession of a false UK passport after trying to withdraw £18,000 (Dh105,945) from a NatWest bank.

In 2011 Efremi obtained details of a managing director at a Lloyds bank and used them to request a new bank cards under the assumed name.

In 2013 and 2014 he notched up further convictions for shoplifting.

He has admitted a single charge of fraud relating to ten withdrawals totalling £5,000 using stolen bank cards belonging to youngest victim Fatima.

Efremi, of Upper Handa Walk, Islington, north London, denies conspiracy to commit aggravated burglary.

Spence initially denied the savage attacks on the women who were visiting the capital from the UAE but confessed in the face of “overwhelming evidence”.

Spence, of Abbeyfields Close, Alperton, northwest London, admits three counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and one count of aggravated burglary.

But he denies three counts of attempted murder and one count of conspiracy to commit aggravated burglary.

James Moss, 33, has admitted handling stolen goods including mobile phones, handbags and jewellery.

Moss, of Hanley Road, Stroud Green, north London, will be sentenced later.

The trial continues.

— Josh White is a London-based freelance journalist