A teenage witness claimed the alleged shooter was "scary" during the aftermath of the fatal shooting of John Pordage, a court heard today.


The alleged shooter, 18-year-old Bradley Blundell, is still on the run from police.


Two other teenagers are currently on trial at Chelmsford Crown Court in connection with Mr Pordage's death.


The prosecution claim that although the boy did not pull the trigger, he intended to kill or had the intention of causing Mr Pordage serious harm.


Both Stanley and the unnamed defendant deny the charges.

This morning (January 18), the jury heard the evidence of a teenage girl who was at the petrol station where Mr Pordage was gunned down.

The witness, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had been in the car which was used to drive Blundell and the two defendants to the garage in Great Baddow.

Police at the scene of the shooting

The car, a blue Ford Fiesta, was driven by the witness' friend, another teenage girl who cannot be named for legal reasons.

The pair had initially planned to spend the evening of August 4 together, but everything changed when Blundell asked the teenage driver to take him to Brentwood in exchange for petrol money.

It later transpired that the other two defendants were also to join the group, with the purpose of the journey being to collect a stolen motorcycle.

During cross-examination by Bernard Richmond QC, who represents the unnamed defendant, the witness explained how the group had stopped at the Asda petrol station in Chelmer Village but were unable to fuel either the Ford or the bike.

The decision was then made to drive to the BP garage where the car could be fueled and a jiffy can for the motorcycle could be filled.

Mr Pordage was shot outside the BP garage in Great Baddow

As the five teenagers pulled onto the petrol forecourt, Mr Pordage was allegedly sat in his white Peugeot van with his friend Jamal Samuels.

Referring to an alleged exchange between the men in the van and the boys in the car, Mr Richmond asked the witness if Blundell was getting annoyed.

Who was John Pordage?

He was a well-known face in Chelmsford.

Sue has previously described John as an "accomplished artist who loved creativity and design".




"Yes," she replied.

She said that a comment about Blundell looking like the "Milkybar Kid" antagonised him even more.

When asked about the shooting, the witness explained how Blundell and the two defendants exited the car by one of them pushing the front passenger seat forward.

"The general message which was coming from everyone in the car to Brad was, ‘Don’t be so stupid'?," Mr Richmond asked.

"Yes," she replied.

Forensics teams at the scene of the shooting

Mr Richmond, who went on to question the witness about the journey away from the petrol station, asked: "You noticed that the 16-year-old was in a very worrying state?"

"Yes," she replied, confirming that she was worried about him and that he was not talking.

Focusing on Blundell's behaviour after the altercation, Mr Richmond asked the witness whether Blundell was "a bit scary" and "a lot scary", with the girl replying "Yes," to both questions.

Tomorrow (January 19), Mr Pordage's friend Mr Samuels is expected to give evidence.

The trial continues.