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Taxi murder: Driver relives moment his passenger was blasted with a shotgun in his car

A taxi driver has described the terrifying moment his passenger was blasted with a shotgun and killed right behind him.

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Kimani Martin was shot dead last year

Raja Zaman picked up Kimani Martin and two associates on June 20 last year and within minutes was covered in blood fearing for his life.

The driver, through an interpreter, told Birmingham Crown Court he thought a tyre had blown until he saw his rear mirror shot to pieces and Kimani bleeding from the head in the back seat.

He said: "The man with the gun asked me where the other two were, I told them they had ran the opposite way than they had because I thought they had already killed one person and I did not want them to kill anymore.

"I got out the car myself and was standing by the car, I did not want to get shot myself. I had blood on my coat."

A Blue Golf chased down the taxi in Tividale and the front seat passenger even tried to take control of the wheel to escape.

Mr Zaman said: "He grabbed the steering wheel trying to stop me giving way, but I held on tight but the car still moved. Then I heard what I thought was a tyre blow."

Mr Zaman was working for 1-21 Taxis in Tipton on the night of the slaying and was paid cash up front to drive them to Aston, Birmingham.

The court heard that earlier in the evening Kimani had undertaken an abduction of one the gunman's associates.

The second prosecution witness at Birmingham Crown was Jason Brown, who gave evidence behind a screen for his own safety.

Mr Brown heard a gunshot on the evening in question and then looked out of a window to see the VW Golf circling the stricken taxi.

Kisharne Campbell, aged 23, and Usman Amjad, 22, both of no fixed address, along with Luke Adams, 20, from Walsall, and Atif Khan, 25, from Tipton, are charged with murder.

All deny the charges and the trial continues.

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