A MAN jailed for his part in the shooting of five-year-old Blackburn boy in 1997 threatened to take revenge on the child’s father for testifying against him, a court heard.

Craig Hollinrake allegedly approached John Casey, the father of Dillon Hull, and told him: “I’m going to shoot you. I’m going to put you in a wheelchair, you grass.”

Iain Simkin, prosecuting, told a jury at Manchester Crown Court that in 1998 Mr Casey had given evidence against Hollinrake, who was convicted of conspiracy to murder.

Mr Casey was put into a witness protection programme, which he left in 2005 and then returned to Bolton to work on his father’s fruit stall at Ashburner Street market.

Mr Simkin added that at 11.45am on May 18 last year, Hollinrake confronted Mr Casey at the market, threatened him and tried to goad him into leaving the CCTV-covered market area.

But Mr Casey, a convicted drug dealer, later told the court that he could not remember being threatened by Hollinrake.

Mr Casey admitted giving a statement to police but told the court that he could not remember anything about the events of that day or whether the contents of the statement were true.

“I have no wish to carry on with this case,” said Mr Casey.

He stated that he could not remember replying to Hollinrake after he was allegedly threatened: “You’re a kiddy-killer. You are a child murderer.”

And he could not recall being challenged to go to the Mecca Casino car park with Hollinrake, allegedly saying: “Come on, let’s get away from the cameras.

Let’s have a straightener.”

Mr Casey added that he did not want anything to do with Craig Hollinrake.

“The guy’s in the dock and I won’t look at him,” he said.

Hollinrake, 37, whose address cannot be revealed for legal reasons, has pleaded not guilty to threatening to take revenge.

The killing happened in August 1997 in Bolton when a man in a motorcycle crash helmet leapt out of the shadows and fired four shots at Mr Casey and his son.

One bullet hit the child in the head and another struck Mr Casey, who survived.

Dillon had moved to Bolton from Blackburn with his family months before his death.

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