Devizes solicitor Jim Ward had expressed his concern over threats made against him by Michael Chudley six weeks before he was shot in his office at MGW Law in St John’s Street, Salisbury Crown Court heard today.

Jayne Bertie, at that time a solicitor in the practice, told judge Mr Justice Bean that, during an informal meeting in the kitchenette at the practice, Mr Ward had told her and another colleague, Nicola Grosvenor, that Chudley had been heard saying in a pub that “Ward had better watch his back”.

As a result of these threats, Mr Ward had instructed that no staff member was allowed to be on their own on the ground floor reception area and the front door was to be kept shut.

Ms Bertie told William Mousley QC, prosecuting, that on the day of the shooting she had heard a bang while sitting in her third floor office but thought it had come from the street.

Then, realising the noise had come from inside the building, she had gone downstairs and saw Nicola Morris, Mr Ward’s widow, looking pale and shocked. She said: “Don’t come in.”

Motorist Christopher Farnsworth was parking his car in St John’s Street when he saw a maroon Ford Fiesta parked on double yellow lines directly outside the offices of MGW Law. He saw a man, dressed in a flat cap and a jacket, get out and go into the building.

A few minutes later he saw a woman rush out of the building and go into the shop next door.

He heard a muffled bang before the man emerged from the building, got into his car and drove off. Mr Farnsworth said: “He acted as if nothing had happened. It wasn’t until I saw the gun that I thought, this shouldn’t be happening.”

After the man drove off, Mr Farnsworth got out to see if he could do anything to help and, when the ambulance crew arrived, he helped them carry their equipment into the building.

Stephen Bates, owner of the Funky Rabbit children’s shop in The Chequers across the road, told the court that he heard the noise of the gunshot and glass shattering and went to his front window to see what was going on.

He saw a man, who he described as looking like a stereotypical farmer or gamekeeper, calmly come out of the building, unlock the back door of his car, put the gun on the back seat, then get in and drive off.

Chudley, 63, formerly of Kingfisher House, Rowde, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Mr Ward but admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibilty; a plea not accepted by the prosecution.

The trial continues.