Former Auschwitz guard Oskar Groening acknowledged yesterday that he bears a share of the moral guilt for nazi atrocities at the camp.

However, he told judges at the opening of his trial in the German town of Lueneburg that it was up to them to decide whether he deserved to be convicted as an accessory to murder.

The 93-year-old admitted having helped collect and tally money as part of his job, which was to deal with the belongings stolen from people arriving at the death camp.

Mr Groening testified that he had volunteered to join the SS in 1940 after training as a banker and had served at Auschwitz from 1942 to 1944.

He didn’t mention directly participating in any atrocities and claimed to have unsuccessfully sought a transfer after witnessing one.

“I share morally in the guilt, but whether I am guilty under criminal law, you will have to decide,” Mr Groening told the panel of judges hearing the case.