Jamal Edwards did not think there was a similarity between a song by Suffolk superstar Ed Sheeran and a track by another artist, the late music entrepreneur said in court documents.

Mr Sheeran, who grew up in Framlingham, is involved in a legal row with two songwriters, Sami Chokri and Ross O’Donoghue, who claim his 2017 hit Shape of You rips off parts of their 2015 track Oh Why.

But Mr Sheeran and his two co-songwriters deny this.

Ahead of a High Court trial, which began last week, SBTV founder Mr Edwards, who died last month after a sudden illness, had prepared a witness statement in support of his "very good friend" Mr Sheeran, 31.

In the statement signed September 27 last year, Mr Edwards said he knew both Mr Sheeran and Mr Chokri but did not know about the court case or that he was mentioned in it until shortly before giving his witness statement.

According to Mr Chokri and Mr O’Donoghue, Mr Edwards commented a “shifty eyes” emoji on one of Mr Chokri’s Facebook posts shortly after the release of Shape of You.

However, in his written evidence, Mr Edwards disputed this.

He said: “I have no recollection of posting, or deleting, a ‘shifty eyes’ emoji on Sami’s Facebook page, as he says I did.”

Mr Edwards continued: “This, i.e. that there was a similarity between the ‘Oh Why/Oh I chorus’, is not a view that I recall having, indeed I do not recall ever having heard ‘Oh Why’, and therefore do not believe that this is a view I had.”

Mr Chokri and Mr O’Donoghue’s lawyers argued in written submissions that it is “highly likely” Mr Edwards had listened to Oh Why.

They have also argued that it is “unequivocal” that Mr Edwards posted the “shifty eyes” emoji as Mr Chokri claimed, arguing that “limited weight” should be given to the entrepreneur’s evidence.

In court on Monday, Mr Sheeran said that Mr Edwards, who he described as his “best friend”, did not share music with him in 2015 and 2016, explaining that he had only recently done so.

Andrew Sutcliffe QC, for Mr Chokri and Mr O’Donoghue, previously said this argument was “not credible”.

In his statement, Mr Edwards said that it was only “in the last couple of years” that he had shared any music with Mr Sheeran.

Mr Edwards later said it was “very strange” that he was not told about the High Court claim.

He said: “Neither Sami nor anyone else on his behalf has ever spoken to me about the claim, including before using my name to suggest that I thought Ed had done something ‘doubtful or nefarious’.

“I think Sami has not called me about this because he knows it is ridiculous. Either way, I am very surprised by the whole situation.”

Mr Sheeran and his co-authors launched legal proceedings in May 2018, asking the High Court to declare they had not infringed Mr Chokri and Mr O’Donoghue’s copyright.

In July 2018, Mr Chokri and Mr O’Donoghue issued their own claim for “copyright infringement, damages and an account of profits in relation to the alleged infringement”.

The trial before Mr Justice Zacaroli continues, with judgment expected to be reserved until a later date.