FORMER soldier Daniel Sykes wept as he told jurors he felt guilty about the death of a Polish student.

The Slaithwaite man said he felt guilty because he was the last person to see Tobiasz Minski alive.

At Leeds Crown Court yesterday Sykes, 25, of Royd Street, admitted that he and Mr Minski had been involved in a scuffle on the canal bank in the early hours of last November 9.

He denies murdering 23-year-old Mr Minski, saying he must have drowned in the water.

But he does admit to burying the student's body in a shallow grave.

Sykes broke down as he recounted finding Mr Minskis lifeless body and admitted he initially lied to police.

He said: I was in a terrible state after what I saw. I felt guilty. I was the last person to see him.

I did assault him; it was self-defence, but I was the last person to see him.

Last November 8 Sykes and a friend, Shane Porter, spent the evening in Huddersfield town centre.

They later met Mr Minski and a fourth man at Bar Rouge and the men shared a taxi to Slaithwaite at around 4.50am on November 9.

Sykes admits to being extremely drunk during the evening.

He could not recount meeting Mr Minski, saying his first memory of himself with the student was at Lock 24 at the canal side in Slaithwaite.

Sykes said: My first recollection was Tobiasz Minski wanted to score some cocaine.

I can remember where we were and I can remember something about him thinking I was a policeman.

I tried to calm him down because he thought I was in the police. He then hit me in the back of the head with his fist.

After that punch he hit me around the back of my right ear and I spun round to face Tobiasz and then he grabbed me by the throat.

The two men had what Sykes described as a scuffle before Sykes says he walked away, leaving Mr Minski lying on the ground between the canal and river.

He said Mr Minski was breathing when he left.

Sykes says it was not until around 6am, when he went back to the scene, that he saw the student in the river.

The forklift truck driver added: I pulled him out.

I just fished my hands in and grabbed his leg and pulled him up the slope.

I dragged him back on to land and left him there.

David Hatton QC, defending, said: Did you put him in that river?

Sykes replied: No.

Mr Hatton then asked why Sykes had buried the body.

Sykes added: I was scared; Id just found a dead body and I was the last person to see him.

Mr Hatton then asked if there was any truth in comments about a plot to kill Mr Minski to sell his body parts for s100,000.

Sykes replied: No.

In cross-examination, prosecuting counsel Simon Myerson QC asked Sykes why he lied to police when he was first arrested.

Sykes said: Because I was trying to cover something up, as you well know.

Mr Myerson asked: Why didnt you just tell the truth?

Sykes added: I chose that route to go down and it was hard to turn back then.

I was just digging myself deeper and deeper.

I knew the police would find the body.

Police found Mr Minskis body on December 18, more than a month after he was last seen.

The case continues.