A gunman wearing a helmet walked up to a house in a Leicestershire village and discharged nine bullets through the front door and window, a court heard. A man, a woman and a 10-year-old child were inside the property on Hewes Close, Glen Parva, when the attack took place. Jurors at Leicester Crown Court were told it was a "miracle" the bullets failed to hit any of them.
Shooting details and defendants
Jurors heard on Thursday (November 5) that the two men who attended the property were Liam Goldson, of Whiston, and an unidentified accomplice who has yet to be located. Several others alleged to have been involved in the conspiracy - Aaron Flusk, Corbin Doyle and Sam Comer - are standing trial alongside Goldson, all jointly charged with plotting to murder a man at the address. All four defendants hail from Knowsley.
The jury heard how Leicestershire Police were called to Hewes Close on Friday, March 6, after bullets were fired into the house at 8.38pm. Prosecutor Tracy Ayling KC told the jury that a blue Kia Nero and a white Seat Leon travelled south from Liverpool, and the Kia went to the address in Hewes Close where the shooting took place. While the Kia, which had been allegedly stolen, was later set on fire in Fulbrook Lane near Warwick, the Seat returned to Merseyside.
Evidence presented to the jury
Phone records, ANPR camera shots and CCTV all combined to provide a detailed picture of the movements of the cars and the men on March 6, the prosecutor said. The court heard that Doyle's computer had also been seized after his arrest, showing computer searches for his defendants and visits to news sites about the shooting.
Other evidence shown to the jury included a still image from the Hewes Close address showing the gunman in a motorbike helmet outside the house, and a police video of the interior with the bullet holes visible throughout the house. Some bullets had been fired through a front window and others straight through the front door of the detached house.
Ms Ayling said: "This is definitely - the prosecution say - a conspiracy to kill. These shots went all the way though the home and the fact no one was hit was something of a miracle." She said bullet casings had been found around the address and one had Comer's DNA on it.
Charges and trial status
When the four were arrested they all either gave no comment or issued prepared statements denying any involvement in the incident. The defendants - Flusk, 26, of The Crescent, Whiston, Doyle, 19, of Dragon Lane, Whiston, Goldson, 19, of Milton Close, Whiston, and Comer, 19, of Stanwood Gardens, Whiston - each face two charges.
The four are accused of conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to endanger life. They deny the charges. The trial, which is expected to last until Christmas, continues.
