Mother 'tried to save shot son'

Four men deny the murder of Craig Hodson-Walker

The mother of a man shot dead during a robbery at a sub-post office has told how she tried in vain to resuscitate her son.

Craig Hodson-Walker, 29, died when he was shot in the heart by raiders at the family business in Fairfield, Worcestershire, on 9 January.

Judith Hodson-Walker said she tried to fend off the gang with a curtain pole.

Anselm Ribera, Adrian Snape, Christopher Morrissey and his brother Declan all deny murder.

They also deny the attempted murder of Mr Hodson-Walker's father, Ken, who was shot in the leg.

'He's gone'

Mrs Hodson-Walker told Birmingham Crown Court: "I ran to Craig in the corner and I could see Ken on the floor, he couldn't move.

"He said 'He's gone' and I said, 'He can't be gone, he's my son'.

I picked him up towards me and saw all this blood was all over the floor and underneath him Judith Hodson-Walker, mother

"I picked him up towards me and saw all this blood was all over the floor and underneath him.

"I tried to blow into his mouth but each time I blew into his mouth it was just gurgling, it was horrendous."

Mrs Hodson-Walker said she thought Craig had gone to help his father fend off the robbers when he was shot.

She said she left the shop area after being hit on the shoulder with a sledgehammer and went into the living quarters to call 999.

She then threw the phone to a shop customer who was there during the raid.

Mrs Hodson-Walker said: "I saw Craig on the floor and I thought, 'I can't do this', so I threw the phone at Samantha (Williams), the lady in the shop, and I said 'You've got to do it', because my son was on the floor."

Crouching down

In a statement read out to the court, her husband said he saw two men come in, one with a sledgehammer.

Ken Hodson-Walker said: "I think I was just focused on the gun and thinking if I take my eyes off this, even for a minute, then I'm gone."

He added one of the robbers was demanding that the safe be opened.

Mr Hodson-Walker, who had grabbed a cricket bat for protection, said he offered them the till, adding: "There was money in there and maybe they would have been happy with that and not shot anyone."

He said shelving was thrown on top of him as he lay injured on the floor.

The robbers then began "stamping" on the shelving, the court was told.

In a statement read to the court, Ms Williams, from Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, said she spent the two minutes of the raid crouching down and trying to make herself invisible.

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

Mr Ribera and the Morrissey brothers also deny attempted robbery.

Mr Snape has pleaded guilty to attempted robbery, admitting that he was the getaway driver.

The trial continues.

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