A METAL detectorist from Newport accused of stealing a £3 million Anglo-Saxon coin hoard and priceless jewellery was "in it for the money", a court heard.

George Powell, of Kirby Lane, along with Layton Davies, of Cardiff Road, Pontypridd, are both accused of theft after failing to declare an "invaluable" collection of buried treasure dating back 1,100 years, dug up on Herefordshire farmland in June 2015.

The men have gone on trial at Worcester Crown Court along with two others - 60-year-old Paul Wells and Simon Wicks, 57 - charged with conspiring to conceal the find.

Among the priceless hoard was a ninth century gold ring, bracelet and silver ingot, a crystal rock pendant dating to the fifth century and up to 300 coins, some going back to the reign of Alfred the Great.

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Jurors have heard the four are accused of ignoring the law stating such finds must be properly declared, in a bid to sell the items in small batches.

Giving evidence on Monday, Detective Constable Gareth Thomas told how he spoke to coin dealer Wells at his home in Newport Road, Cardiff, on September 10, 2015, leading to an unexpected discovery.

At that meeting, Wells, who at that stage was not under arrest, was making a written statement to the West Mercia Police officer to assist the criminal investigation.

However, he was detained when unexpectedly producing a key fob-type magnifying glass in front of police.

He then showed officers that concealed within the stitched lining of the glass's leather case were five of the Saxon coins.

Wells claimed he had been given the items after a meeting with Powell, 38, and Davies, 51, that summer, and had been trying to give them back.

On arrest, he told the detective: "I knew it would come to this."

Describing how the two metal detectorists came to hand over a larger sample of coins and three priceless artefacts, Wells recalled the day a "very excited" Powell had rung him some time that June.

Retired builder Wells agreed to meet Powell and Davies at a basement cafe, also bringing along his business partner, Jason Sallam.

Wells described how "Layton and George started pulling stuff out of their pockets" at the meeting.

"I do recall the utter disrespect in the way the items - the coins - were produced," Wells' statement read.

He described them as hammered coins, thin, small and dull grey, looking "extremely rare".

"I knew straight away they were something special," said Wells.

He claimed Powell told him and Mr Sallam that the 10-12 coins produced at the meeting were all the pair had found.

It was then he had alleged Powell showed him three items wrapped in kitchen roll.

One was a gold ring, "shaped like a 50p", "a bangle with a dragon or a lion eating its tail" and a "rock crystal sphere, an inch-and-a-half in diameter, with a gold attachment".

"I realised why George had been so excited," said Wells.

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"I said to them, they had to immediately be declared so they could go into a museum.

"But George said it would be worth at least £30-£40,000.

"Layton was of the same opinion as me, but George remained focused on the money to the point I had to swear at him to quieten him down."

He added: "I think Layton was intimidated by George.

"Both Jason and I were of the opinion Layton wanted to declare the items, while George was in it for the money."

The men agreed the items would be taken for detailed examination by Mr Sallam, who then returned them to Wells.

"Jason explained to me they were so rare it would change the rules of metal detectoring and again relayed the importance of their being declared to the correct authorities," said Wells.

Wells added that when Davies subsequently collected the objects and coins, he passed five coins back to the dealer for safe-keeping, and "explained to me they had" reported the finds.

Powell, Davies, Wells, and Wicks, of Hawks Road, Hailsham, East Sussex, all deny any wrongdoing.

The trial continues.