Trial hears from gunshot victim

A man has told a murder trial how he panicked and ran after seeing a gun pointed at him out of a car window.

Gerald O'Doherty, 28, said he dashed into a Paisley snooker club and did not realise he had been shot.

He was giving evidence at the trial of three men accused of murdering his friend Andrew Devlin in August 2007.

Anthony Collins, 30, Richard McCondochie, 25, and John Burke, 28, all deny murdering Mr Devlin and attempting to murder Mr O'Doherty.

Mr O'Doherty told prosecutor Iain McSporran there were lots of "wee holes" in his left side, but no blood.

He added that he did not know that his friend, Mr Devlin, 19, had been shot dead.

"There was a gun hanging out the window. The front passenger in the car had it"

Mr O'Doherty told the High Court in Glasgow that he thought he was hit as he ran up the front stairs into the Suzy Q's club where he was attending a 21st birthday party He said that seconds earlier he saw a Peugeot car pull up as he stood chatting with people outside the snooker club at about 2200 BST.

Mr O'Doherty said: "There was a gun hanging out the window. The front passenger in the car had it.

"It was pointed towards me and Thomas Coutts. When I saw it I turned and ran. I panicked and ran."

The court was told that Mr O'Doherty spent 11 months in hospital. He had his spleen removed and his bowel and intestines rebuilt.

When asked if he could identify the person who shot him Mr O'Doherty said: "I'm not 100% sure."

He then went on to point to Mr Collins and said: "He looks like him. I'm not saying it's him, but from what I can remember it looks like him."

Identification parade

Under cross-examination by Donald Findlay QC, representing Mr Collins, Mr O'Doherty admitted that around the time of the shooting he had some enemies.

When asked by Mr Findlay if there was an "element of bravado" about him going to the party he replied: "It was my girlfriend's birthday party so I would be there. I never thought anything would have happened at the party. This was a family party with women and children."

When asked if he would name the gunman if he knew who it was Mr O'Doherty replied: "Yes because my friend lost his life."

The court heard that at an identification parade Mr O'Doherty failed to pick out Mr Collins.

Mr Collins, Mr McCondochie and Mr Burke, all from Glasgow, also deny attempting to defeat the ends of justice by concealing a shotgun and setting fire to a Peugeot 307 estate car between 3 August, 2007 and 20 June last year, and firearms charges.

Mr Collins and Mr McCondochie have lodged special defences.

Co-accused Laura Kinnear, 29, from Govan, Glasgow, denies firearms charges between 15 and 30 October, 2007.

The trial before Lord Malcolm continues.

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