SINGAPORE - One of the two men allegedly involved in the death of a 26-year-old in July 2016 said that the victim had interrupted his family's lunch at a coffee shop earlier that year.

Lawrence Lim Peck Beng told the court on Thursday (March 12) that Mr Shawn Ignatius Rodrigues continued to loiter around even after he was told to leave by Lim and his wife.

Lim, 58, and his stepson, Ryan Xavier Tay Seet Choong, are on trial for their alleged involvement in Mr Rodrigues' death.

Tay, 24, is accused of causing grievous hurt to Mr Rodrigues by hitting him multiple times on July 9, 2016.

This caused Mr Rodrigues to suffer traumatic asphyxia with a head injury that led to his death.

Lim is accused of aiding Tay by sitting on Mr Rodrigues' buttocks and holding on to his legs while Tay assaulted him.

The court had heard last month that Mr Rodrigues had visited Tay and Lim's home in Yishun on the day of the incident, and was chased down the common corridor by Tay.

Tay ended up pinning Mr Rodrigues face down at the end of the corridor after a scuffle between both men. Lim then joined him in restraining Mr Rodrigues.

The court also heard that the two men only relinquished their position when police officers arrived at the scene. Barely half an hour later, paramedics pronounced Mr Rodrigues dead.

On Thursday, Lim said that Mr Rodrigues had been harassing his family for years, including visiting the family at their home and knocking on their door.

He mentioned an instance where Mr Rodrigues had approached Lim, his wife and his father-in-law while they were having lunch at a coffee shop.

The court heard that Lim was angry at Mr Rodrigues for intruding on the family's gathering, which was a birthday celebration for Lim's father-in-law.

When Mr Rodrigues continued to loiter around after being told repeatedly to leave, he threw a chair in the direction of Mr Rodrigues to drive him away.

Lim said in court that his family had made many attempts to deter Mr Rodrigues, which included making 59 police reports.

"But each time nothing could be done to stop him from harassing us," he said.

In last month's proceedings, the court was told that Mr Rodrigues kept saying that he wanted to meet Tay.

The trial continues on Friday, when Lim's wife, Ms Irene Ng, is expected to testify.