A taxi driver heard a bang and saw his colleague fall to the floor before the gun was turned on him, a jury heard yesterday.

Jamshad Khan told Bradford Crown Court of the moment Mohammed Basharat was shot dead in the offices of Little Horton Private Hire in Bradford on the evening of October 20, 2001.

Mr Khan, known as Jimmy, was giving evidence in the trial of Ricardo Linton who denies murdering Mr Basharat and attempting to murder him.

Linton, 45, of no fixed address, is alleged to have committed the crimes almost 20 years ago after an incident of road rage the previous day.

The jury has heard that Mr Basharat, 33, known as Bash, was “executed in cold blood” in the taxi office at 8.20pm.

He was struck by two bullets, in the head and the mouth, and died where he lay.

The trial has been told that a man in a green balaclava walked into the taxi office with a revolver, pointed it at Mr Basharat and pulled the trigger causing a devastating and inevitably fatal head injury.

The gunman then turned his weapon on Mr Khan and pulled the trigger but the weapon failed.

Mr Khan told the court that the previous day, the radio operator asked him to go and help Mr Basharat because he was in trouble on the city’s Park Lane.

Mr Khan responded to the request and saw Mr Basharat’s green Vauxhall Cavalier taxi and a white car that was parked in the middle of the road.

Mr Basharat got out of his vehicle and was arguing with a Jamaican man.

They moved towards one another and began fighting,

Two other drivers from the cab firm also turned up but the fight ended when the man and another male with him ran away.

Mr Khan was next shown photos of the taxi office.

He said he was watching television there the following evening and talking to other drivers.

He heard a banging sound and turned to see a man with a gun.

Mr Basharat, who had been leaning against the wall near the radio room, fell to the floor.

“He also pointed the gun at me,” Mr Khan said.

When the pistol was aimed at him, the man tried to fire it but there was a clicking sound.

The gunman then left and he chased after him but he got away.

Mr Khan said the gunman had a black scarf pulled over his face and a black hood pulled down. He said his black coat was identical to the one the man fighting with Mr Basharat the previous day was wearing.

The trial continues.