Man tells murder trial of moment masked men attacked him before he found brother shot dead
A man found his brother shot dead in an upstairs room just moments after he was stabbed by four masked men in their home, a court has heard.
John Jones, 36, died while his younger brother Sebastian survived serious injuries when a group of men arrived at their home in Caslon Crescent, in the Norton area of Stourbridge, on February 25 last year.
In an earlier hearing at at Wolverhampton Crown, the jury heard how Mr Jones was shot and killed over a £175 drug debt.
Giving evidence on Wednesday, Sebastian Jones said he had been staying in the downstairs living room at the time of the attack last year and admitted his brother and father were regular drug users.
He said: "I was living in the front living room on the ground floor which had been turned into a bedroom.
"I used to keep myself to myself as I did not like being around my dad and brother when they were doing drugs."
Prosecutor Mark Heywood KC said that the court had already heard how Mr Jones and his father took class A drugs.
Mr Jones said he had been at Merry Hill shopping centre on the day of his brother's death. He returned home at around 4pm and was listing to music in his room when four masked men burst in.
He told the court: "I was in my room chilling and listening to music then heard the door to the living room open. I turned around and there were four people starring at me. They had weapons."
He said the men wore black "balaclava type" face coverings, and one of them was brandishing a pistol.
"He was pointing a pistol or gun at me. It was a black, square Glock-like pistol like I have seen in Call of Duty or on TV."
He said the man wore a grey track suit with a clack face covering.
"I could see by his eyes he was a white male. I was scared. When I saw the pistol I did not know what would happen. I though would be shot."
He said the male brandishing the gun then said something that Mr Jones didn't hear.
"I said 'what?' and stood up and then they attacked me straight away. All of them. I was shouting for help," he told the court.
"They all ran at me and started hitting me. I did my best to fight my way through them and was shouting for my dad and brother."
He said after breaking free from his attackers he ran upstairs.
"I ran into my brother's room and I found him dead and his friend was sat in the corner, scared for his life. I was scared and panicked. I went to the window and shouted for help and looked to see if the males had followed me upstairs," he said.
He added that through the window he saw a white saloon car parked outside the house and another masked man stood nearby.
It was later discovered that Mr Jones had been stabbed three times in the neck during the attack.
Mr Jones admitted he had been a cannabis smoker but denied accusations that he had been dealing the drug from the Caslon Crescent address, despite police finding £1,200 in cash in his wallet as well as a set of digital scales and a bag of herbal cannabis that was found in the garden.
Alleged gunman Ravi Talware, co-defendants Kevin Waldron, Scott Garrington and three youths who cannot be named for legal reasons, are accused of the murder of Mr Jones and attacking his brother. All six deny murder, manslaughter, attempted murder, wounding and possessing the firearms.
Talware, 32, of Cavalier Circus, Bushbury, Wolverhampton; Waldron, 41, and Garrington, 51, both of Bridgnorth Road, Wollaston, also deny perverting the course of justice.
The trial continues.
