Aaron Lennon and the killer: Tottenham star's pal murdered a dad

Football ace Aaron Lennon poses with a friend who went on to torture and murder a dad-of-four in a bungled robbery.

The Spurs winger, 21, holds up his signed England shirt as he sits alongside Dacosta Daniel with his £50,000 Land Rover in the background.

Daniel, 29, and two others bludgeoned businessman Edward Simpson, 56, to death in August last year with a monkey wrench.

The picture with Aaron was posted on Facebook. It is unclear when it was taken. One source said the pair posed for the snap just days before Daniel attacked Mr Simpson. But another claimed it was 2006.

Lennon went to the same school as the killer in the tough Chapeltown area of Leeds and the pair have stayed mates.

One friend said: "Aaron knew Dacosta Daniel was a lively character and spent time with him on visits back home."

But the player, who regularly visits Leeds, insisted: "I'm completely against violent crime and very sad to see the increase in such crime."

Daniel was jailed for 33 years for Mr Simpson's murder. Police believe he was looking for £300,000 cash when the gang raided the home near Bradford. But they fled with just £15 from a kids' moneybox.