A MURDER trial witness said he would not have given gunman Callum Campbell and his co-accused a lift if he had thought they had a weapon.
Stuart Russell's evidence was read out earlier today to the jury sitting on the retrial of Michael-Paul Hamblett-Sewell, who is accused of murdering 15-year-old Kadeem in November 2008.
Callum Campbell, who was 19 at the time, has already pleaded guilty to murder – he admitted being the gunman in Caxton Park, Sunny Hill, on that night.
Michael-Paul Hamblett-Sewell is accused of being a party to, being behind or ordering the shooting of Kadeem. Hamblett-Sewell, now 25, of Marlborough Road, Allenton, denies murder.
Prosecutor Sarah Knight read out Mr Russell's statement, which he had given to police in February 2009.
Mr Russell said he had turned up at KFC in Sinfin in his car at about 8.30pm on November 11, 2008, where Campbell and Hamblett-Sewell had asked to be taken to Browning Circle, Sunnyhill.
He said he agreed and had driven around Browning Circle twice and they had seen about eight people outside a shop.
Mr Russell said: "One of the youths was a black male... and he had a hood over his head and covering part of his face. He started shouting at us 'Caxton, Caxton, come to Caxton'."
He said that as the youth had shouted this he had made a gesture with his hands as if mimicking a gun.
Mr Russell said that Hamblett-Sewell and Campbell had then asked to be taken to Megabowl and so he had driven straight there and dropped them off.
In the statement, Mr Russell said that he and his girlfriend had received a phone call from a friend at 1.15am the following day, who told them that a boy had been shot dead in Browning Circle.
Mr Russell said: "At no time did I even suspect that either (Hamblett-Sewell or Campbell) were in possession of any weapon. If I even thought they had, I would not have let them get into my car."
