A man looked on in horror as two of his friends were “executed” in the street moments after leaving his flat, the Old Bailey heard.

Gary Clarke, of Strang House, Britannia Row, Islington, was watching from his balcony as Jayson Hassan, 28, of Hoxton, and Lee Wallace, 25, of Loughton, were gunned down outside early on November 9 last year.

Mr Hassan’s former school friend Daniel Wilson, 28, of Bow, and his Muslim-convert uncle Wayne Wilson, 42, of Preston, are standing trial for the murders.

The jury was told that Mr Clarke heard about 12 shots after seeing a gunman pull out a small calibre black revolver in front of Mr Hassan.

Statements he gave to police at the time were read out in court after he refused to say anything beyond confirming his name from the witness box.

Execution

He told police Mr Hassan, who he called Jay, and Mr Wallace had been at his flat and that he saw them out at around 4am. As he watched them leave the block, he said a man appeared with a gun.

“I then heard shots being fired and more shots. I watched Jay, as he was shot he fell to the ground just to my right,” he said. He then saw his friend shot again as he was lying on the floor, “like an execution,” the jury heard.

Mr Clarke also told police he thought he also saw another man involved with Mr Wallace to his left. After the gunman ran off, Mr Clarke dashed down the stairs to tend to his two friends with neighbours.

“I knelt down and kissed Jay, telling him it was going to be okay,” he said.

It is claimed cocaine dealer Mr Hassan wanted friend and alleged drug-runner Daniel Wilson to return two guns and money owed to him.

The dealer is said to have repeatedly threatened to kill Wilson, as well as putting a knife to his girlfriend’s throat.

Daniel Wilson, of Lichfield Road, is alleged to have recruited his uncle, of St Phillips Road, to carry out the attack.

A third man, Rodney Morrison, 43, of Lancaster Road, Stratford, had been on trial accused of the same charges, but the judge has now agreed for his case to be heard separately.

The trial continues.