Accused in Mansfield gunfire trial offered pal cash for hand gun before gang clash
A man accused of bringing a handgun to a clash between gangs on a Mansfield estate where a shot was fired begged a friend for a weapon and offered £2,000 in cash, a jury has heard.
Dillon Mellor denies bringing a firearm to a confrontation on the Bellamy estate on May 9, 2024 after coming off worse in a fight with Troon Dennington when “a relatively trivial disagreement” escalated, said Laura Hocknell, prosecuting.
Nottingham Crown Court heard Mellor sent a Whatsapp message saying: “Can Liam bring his t’ing and I will hold it no matter what happens. I will hold it. A hand t'ing. Not one of them long t'ings.
“I feel violated bro' man. My eye is all swollen. Please.”
And a video message seconds later saw him saying: “Never mind three quid, I will give you two quid.”
DC Robert Garrow told the court “t’ing” refers to gun and “quid” to £1,000.
It is alleged Mellor then acquired a gun and returned to the scene with three other men in balaclavas looking for Dennington.
When Dennington heard Mellor and his accomplices were looking for him, he and a third defendant, Matthew Smith, returned.
“There was a confrontation between the groups and, during it, Smith managed to get hold of the gun, and following that, the balaclavaed men made good their escape,” said Ms Hocknell.
Instead of calling the police Dennington and Smith passed that gun to another male who took it away, it is alleged.
One witness described the damage caused when a van smashed into a garage and discovered a masked, black-clad man “in shock” amid the rubble before he ran off.
Two police officers spoke to Mellor hours before the confrontation when they saw him apparently squaring up to another man on the Bellamy estate.
When they asked him why he was wearing a rolled-up ski mask on his head even though it was a hot day, he replied: “To hide my hair line.”
Mellor, 32, of Maid Marion Way, Boughton, denies possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear or violence, and possessing a prohibited firearm and ammunition without a firearm certificate.
Dennington, 23, of Edwalton Court, and Smith, 40, of Big Barn Lane, both Mansfield, deny transferring a prohibited firearm and violent disorder. The trial continues.