Salford mum and son shot 'in revenge for Massey execution'

Eight men are on trial at Manchester Crown Court over the shootings

A seven-year-old boy and his mother were shot on their doorstep in revenge for the machine gun "execution" of a rival gang member, a court heard.

Christian Hickey and mother Jayne were blasted in the legs in Salford in 2015.

The prosecution told the jury Christian Hickey senior, the intended target, was good friends with a gang leader, and the attack was in "retribution" for the shooting of crime boss Paul Massey.

Eight men are on trial over the shootings at Manchester Crown Court.

Shortly after 21:30 GMT on 12 October 2015 Mrs Hickey and her son were shot after a man knocked at the door and asked for Mr Hickey.

'Feud split gang'

Jurors were shown photos of blood left at the foot of the stairs after both mother and son suffered serious injuries.

Paul Greaney QC, prosecuting, told the court that gang leader Michael Carroll was a good friend of Mr Hickey's and was best man at his wedding.

Mr Carroll had been part of a Salford gang, the A-Team, but a deadly feud split the gang into rival camps, leading to a series of gun, grenade and machete attacks.

The jury heard the shooting was in "retribution" for an attack on the A-Team three months earlier - the "execution" of Paul Massey, a mentor of A-Team boss Stephen Britton.

Mark Fellows, a member of Carroll's gang, was jailed for life for his murder last month.

Carne Thomasson, 28, Christopher Hall, 49, Aldaire Warmington, 32, and John Thomasson, 49, all from Salford, deny conspiracy to murder and perverting the course of justice.

The court heard the shooting was part of a feud between two rival gangs

Mrs Hickey later identified the man she spoke to at the door as Carne Thomasson, a member of the A-Team.

He was arrested in 2016 alongside Mr Britton with a loaded handgun in Spain, where the court heard Carroll had fled to escape the "war" on Salford's streets.

Evidence suggested John Thomasson transported his nephew Carne in his car before the shooting to pick up and drop off a gun to Hall, who was responsible for minding guns used by the A-Team, Mr Greaney said.

Hall and Aldaire Warmington were both later found by police in possession of the Heckler & Koch P7 self-loading pistol used to shoot the Hickeys.

James Coward, 22, Dominic Walton, 26, and Lincoln Warmington, 32, deny perverting the course of justice in relation to an Audi car allegedly used in the shooting and disposed of days later in Edinburgh.

The same gun had also been used six months earlier to shoot Jamie Rothwell, another member of Carroll's gang, at a car wash near Wigan.

Jacob Harrison 26, has admitted conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm to Mr Rothwell on March 30, 2015 and John Kent, denies the same charge and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

The trial continues.