Shotgun seen in Deepcar laughing gas heist, court told

A passenger in a van held up by gunmen has described the moment an armed gang surrounded the vehicle.

Sean Wright was delivering nitrous oxide canisters in Deepcar, Sheffield, when robbers ordered him and his two colleagues out of the van at gunpoint.

Co-worker Nadeem Qureshi died during the incident after he left the van and was hit by the vehicle as driver, Massimo Rizzelli, drove away.

Three men deny manslaughter, robbery and a firearms offence.

Mr Wright, Mr Qureshi and Mr Rizzelli had been told to deliver the consignment to a location at the end of a dirt track off Station Road when a white 4x4 pulled into their path on 24 July 2019, Sheffield Crown Court was told.

Mr Wright told jurors he saw the passenger of the Jeep-type vehicle pull out a "shotgun" and order them to get out of the van.

"Panicking, [we] looked at each other, that's when Nas [Mr Qureshi] got out of the van," he told the jury.

He said he saw "best friend" Mr Qureshi standing with his hands in the air when suddenly Mr Rizzelli put the van into reverse and began driving off.

The court has previously heard Mr Qureshi, from Manchester, was hit by the van as it reversed and fatally injured.

Mr Wright told jurors that as the van drove off it was pursued by the white 4x4 and a second vehicle, which he described as a blue VW.

He said they sped away from he scene, hitting speeds of up to 80mph (128kph).

He told the court he had called the police and while on the phone said the Jeep and the VW had been "trying to get past us, determined to stop us".

The chase only stopped when they came across a marked police car, he said.

During questioning, Talbir Singh, representing Callum Rutherford, 26, asked Mr Wright if he knew delivering the cannisters was "dodgy".

Mr Wright admitted he knew it was illegal to sell them for human consumption and that people were "turning a blind eye" to selling them to the general public.

The gas, usually used in the catering business to carbonate drinks or in whipped cream canisters, can also be used as a form of psychoactive drug, the court previously heard.

Arron Hartigan, 25, of no fixed abode, Jake Lakin, 22, of Smithy Moor Avenue, Stocksbridge, and Mr Rutherford, of Lee Avenue, Deepcar, all deny manslaughter, conspiracy to commit robbery and having an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

The trial continues.

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