02/11/06 - Woman tells of gunman ordeal
Brentwood Gazette

A Southend woman described how she stared into the eyes of a masked gunman a split second before he opened fire at point blank range.Christine Tretton told a murder trial at Chelmsford Crown Court: "I recognised Ricky Percival.

"Till the day I die, I say 100 per cent that it was Ricky Percival who shot my family."

She said he should be brought to justice for "destroying" her family.

Both her brother and nephew who were injured had died since the shooting seven years ago.

"I want to look him in the eye," she said looking towards Percival, 27, who is also on trial for the execution-style slaying of Dean Boshell at a Leigh-on-Sea allotment in February 2001.

Percival, of Cricketfield Grove, Leigh, denies the murder as well as denying perverting the course of justice, conspiracy to steal, attempted murder, possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, robbery and possession of a firearm with intent to commit an offence.

Miss Tretton claimed the 4am shooting was an act of revenge, coming a year and a day since Percival's friend Malcolm Walsh, 32, was stabbed to death while visiting the close.

Terry Watkins, then 53, who also lived in Locksley Close, was subsequently jailed for life for Mr Walsh's manslaughter.

Stuart Tretton, then 20, who was Watkins step-son, was injuried in the hand by shotgun pellets.

The court heard that the shooting left Miss Tretton's brother Raymond seriously injured while her friend Jenny Dickinson who pushed her to safety lost two fingers of her left hand.

Miss Tretton insisted the gunman who fired was Percival.

"If somebody put a shotgun to your face you would know who they were," she said.

Cross-examined by David Bright QC, was asked why she did not say in her original statement that she knew Percival had carried it out and that she had stared him in the eyes.

Miss Tretton said she did, but claimed it had been left out of her original statement.

The case continues.