Songwriter Sami Chokri says he feels "robbed" by Ed Sheeran after the Suffolk superstar allegedly ripped off one of his songs in the hit Shape of You, a copyright trial has heard.

The grime artist, who performs under the name Sami Switch, told the High Court in London he was "shocked" when he heard the track for the first time.

Mr Chokri is one of two songwriters involved in a legal battle with Suffolk star Mr Sheeran over the 2017 song, which topped the charts in 34 countries.

Mr Sheeran, 31, has appeared at the High Court in London to refute allegations that he "borrowed" from Mr Chokri and Ross O’Donoghue, who claim Shape of You rips off parts of their song, Oh Why.

The Framlingham-raised singer and his co-authors, producer Steven McCutcheon and Snow Patrol’s John McDaid, say they do no not remember hearing Oh Why before penning Shape of You.

The trio 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”.

They argue that a central “Oh I” hook in Sheeran’s song is “strikingly similar” to an “Oh Why” refrain in their own composition.

In his written evidence on Monday, Mr Chokri told the High Court: “In 2017 a few of my friends said that the new song by Ed Sheeran sounded incredibly similar to my song, Oh Why.

“I recall the moment I first heard Shape of You. I was a passenger in my girlfriend’s car and Shape of You came on the radio.

“She and I were both shocked to hear the similarities in the hook of Oh Why and Shape of You. She pulled over the car and we said this is what everyone is talking about.”

Mr Chokri said of Oh Why: “The song really resonated because it was a little bit different to anything else that I had made.

“I recall that when Ross and I had recorded it we thought that we had created something pretty special and personally revealing.”

Under cross examination from Sheeran’s barrister Ian Mill QC, Mr Chokri disagreed with a suggestion his management firm had “singularly failed” to develop his career after the release of Solace in June 2015.

The court heard that Mr Chokri only registered Oh Why with PRS for Music – the industry body that collects and distributes royalties – in 2017.

Mr Chokri told the court: “My main focus for this EP was to get my name out there, like a mix tape… I didn’t think about money at all.”

Under cross examination from Mr Mill, Mr Chokri told Monday’s hearing that he believed Mr Sheeran had heard Oh Why “through the many points of access that me and my team have shared”.

Asked why he believed it, Mr Chokri said it was because of the alleged “similarities” between the songs, “the things that we shared” and “the closeness in our circles musically”.

Mr Mill questioned why he did not contact Mr Sheeran directly about his music, with Mr Chokri replying that it would have come across as “trying too hard” and “kind of needy”.

“There is no targeting of Mr Sheeran, no plan that was exacted to get the song to Mr Sheeran, was there?” Mr Mill suggested.

“It was my management,” Mr Chokri replied.

He later added: “I feel like I’ve been robbed by someone I respect, or respected… This is years of a cloud over my head.”

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