THE jury has retired to consider its verdict in the case of three men accused of plotting to kill a man in a gun attack outside his home.

Kevin King, 30, Donovan Wallace, 24, and Jack Wilding, 20, deny conspiring to murder Mark Walsh, who was peppered with more than 100 pellets from a sawn-off shotgun on January 12.

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Mr Walsh survived the attack but has been left with permanent hearing loss and still has pieces of lead embedded into his head after he was shot with the 12 bore gun.

The jury at Preston Crown Court must now decide if King, of Lodge Lane, Lytham St Annes, called upon his friend Donovan Wallace to kill Walsh - who had started a relationship with King’s ex-girlfriend.

Wilding, who Wallace admitted was paid to do his “dirty work” claims he went along with Wallace but ran away from the scene and did not shoot Mr Walsh.

The prosecution allege there was a long running feud between King and Wallace and Mr Walsh.

King was due to attend a child custody hearing with his ex-partner and is accused of arranging the shooting to keep Walsh from his six-year-old daughter.

Covert recordings, taken from King’s wagon, have been played to the jury.

In one he, King is heard saying: “He’s the one that accused me and Donovan of going up there nicking diesel. He’s the one that smashed Donovan’s car up.

“He ran off with Chloe behind my back. That’s what started all this off.”

King, who was in Southampton at the time Mr Walsh was shot, is accused of conspiracy to murder, along with Wilding and Wallace, who are also accused of attempted murder.

Earlier in the trial King denied any involvement, telling the court he had “no beef” with his ex’s new partner.