Meggy was known as a 'police informer', a court has been told.

And there were fears that he might try to "set up" or "frame" Yassar Yaqub with the police, the jury was told.

Giving evidence on Day Four of the M62 gun trial, Mohsin Amin told the jury of hostilities involving Mohammed Nisar Khan, also known as Meggy.

Dewsbury-born Amin, now of Manchester, is among three men on trial accused of conspiracy to possess firearms and ammunition with intent to endanger life.

GUN TRIAL: Meggy 'well-known' in Bradford area, court told

GUN TRIAL: Drugs 'had gone missing', jury hears

Today, the court was told that there was 'street talk' that drugs had gone missing and a meeting, involving Mr Yaqub and Meggy, was set up at Café de Akbar in Leeds Road, Bradford.

Amin told the court he understood that Mr Yaqub might be set up with the police because Meggy was a police informer.

Mr Justice Turner asked: "By set him up, you mean frame him?"

Amin answered: "Yes."

Amin earlier told the jury that Mr Yaqub and Meggy were meeting to sort out a dispute. They did not trust one another, so Meggy did not want to come to Huddersfield and Mr Yaqub did not want to go to Bradford.

A person called Kash said if Amin attended, Mr Yaqub would, the court heard.

Amin said he did not want to go but Mr Yaqub phoned him and he agreed to go.

"I just went along to keep the peace", Amin told the jury.

He did not expect any violence.

Amin said he leased the Audi on December 7 2016 because he did not own a car. He had been banned for speeding and recently got his licence back. He leased the vehicle using his name, address and date of birth for over the Christmas period. 

Mr Yaqub did not tell him he was bringing a gun with him or that he would be armed. He did not see him with a gun in the car or in Akbar's cafe. Asked: "If you had known he was carrying a gun, would you have allowed him in your car?" Amin replied: "No I would not."

Asked about the bag of bullets and the silencer found in the Audi by police, Amin said they were not previously in the car's glove compartment. He did not see Mr Yaqub put them in there but he had the opportunity when they arrived at the cafe. Amin said he got out the car a few seconds ahead of Mr Yaqub. On the way back to Huddersfield Mr Yaqub was happy because 'everything was going to be resolved.' He was on the phone to Khalil for a minute.

The jury heard earlier that Mr Yaqub and Amin dined in the cafe for over an hour with Meggy and Kashif Tahir.

Mr Yaqub was telling Meggy why a man called Khalil owed him money.

Meggy said Khalil had told him he did not owe any money. The discussion lasted 15 to 20 minutes. It was agreed that Meggy would bring Khalil to a meeting the next day.

Minutes after the meeting in Bradford ended, Mr Yaqub was shot dead by a police marksman beside the M62 at Ainley Top on January 2 last year.

When the police forced Amin to stop he immediately threw his hands in the air, the court heard. An officer referred to in court as Zulu 38 was pointing his weapon at him. “You were effectively eyeball to eyeball with Zulu 38,” his barrister said. “Yes I was,” Amin replied. He agreed with officer Zulu's statement that “He (Amin) stared wide-eyed at me”

Amin said he was in shock. He did not see Mr Yaqub's reaction to the police officers.

In a defence statement Amin said he did not know the occupants of the Scirocco or why the vehicle was following him.

Amin told the court he did not reveal what happened in the cafe until he made a supplementary defence statement shortly before the trial.

“It was a big decision to make to mention people's names,” he said. Cross-examined by Peter Moulson QC for the prosecution, Amin said he did not know the amount of drugs lost or their value.

Mr Moulson suggested to Amin that a meeting between Meggy and Mr Yaqub must have been important. Amin said he was just there to keep the peace. He agreed he was driving at 100mph to Bradford and that he might have gone through a traffic light as it was changing.

At the cafe, Mr Yaqub told Meggy he wanted money for some drugs. Afterwards, Mr Yaqub got out of the Audi near the cafe to speak to the two men in the Scirocco.

Amin said he did not ask Mr Yaqub why the car was following them back to Huddersfield. Amin said under cross-examination that Mr Yaqub still had a man bag when he got back into the Audi. He was wearing gloves. Amin said he drove at up to 80mph on the way back.

He concluded his evidence for the day by saying he had been scared to name people and feared for his life.

Audi driver Amin and his co-accused Rexhino Arapaj and David Butlin are appearing at Leeds Crown Court nearly two years after the operation on a motorway slip road during which Mr Yaqub was shot.

They each deny a charge of conspiracy to possess firearms and ammunition with intent to endanger life.

The trial continues.