Murder accused 'seen days before shooting'

A mother who picked one of four men accused of murdering a Midland sub-postmaster's son out in an identification parade has given evidence in court.

Lucy Merritt said she saw a man who she later identified as defendant Anselm Ribera a few days before 29-year-old Craig Hodson-Walker was shot at Fairfield Post Office, near Stourbridge.

She said she saw Ribera and another man walking in the direction of a parked VW Golf V6, which the prosecution say was later used as a getaway car.

Ribera, Adrian Snape, Christopher Morrissey, and his brother Declan deny murder. They also deny the attempted murder of Craig's father Ken Hodson-Walker, who was shot in the leg.

Ribera, of Topfield House, Druids Heath, Birmingham; Snape, of Camelot Way, Small Heath, Birmingham; Christopher Morrissey, of Elmay Road, Sheldon, Birmingham; and his brother Declan, of Shirley Park Road, Solihull, also deny possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life.

Although she was unsure whether it was on the Tuesday or Wednesday before the attempted robbery on January 9, Mrs Merritt told Birmingham Crown Court that she noticed a pair of men while on her return from a school run.

"You see the same people every day, in the same place, at the same time, to the point where you can gauge what time it is," she said.

"There were two guys walking down the street. They just weren't the sort of people you see there at that time in the morning. It's just not the sort of people you see.

"They were walking quite quickly."

She told jurors she contacted police as soon as she became aware of the shooting – the aftermath of which she had unwittingly witnessed. She said she had driven past and seen the first of the road blocks.

The case continues.