A DAD was shot in the abdomen by intruders who confronted him outside his bedroom, a court heard.

The force of the shotgun blast propelled dad-of-two John Louden back into his bedroom, where he quickly shut and locked the door before crawling onto his bed, "pushing everything back in" and phoning the emergency services.

At Bolton Crown Court five men have gone on trial accused of conspiracy to commit murder.

Dominic Burke, Steven O'Donnell, Waseem Ahmed, Anthony Ward and Matthew Moss all deny involvement in the crime, which happened at 50-year-old Mr Louden's home in Glebelands Road, Prestwich, on the evening of November 27 last year.

Burke, who is alleged to have been the gunman, also denies possessing a firearm with intent and his brother, Ward has pleaded not guilty to possessing an offensive weapon.

Outlining the case, Michael Brady, prosecuting, told the jury that it was a Monday evening and Mr Louden had taken his teenage daughters to Girl Guides and, just before 8.30pm, he was getting ready to collect them again.

"On opening his bedroom door he was confronted by two men," said Mr Brady.

He added that one attacker, to is alleged to be Ward, was armed with a Samurai sword and his accomplice, said to be Burke, was holding a sawn-off shotgun.

"After the shortest of pauses Louden's instinctive reaction was to go on the attack," said Mr Brady.

Mr Louden headed towards the sword man, who is said to have froze, only to to be pushed out of the way by Burke, who fire the gun from his hip.

"The force of the shot knocked Mr Louden back into his bedroom and caused him to be knocked to the floor,"said Mr Brady.

"Mr Louden had the presence of mind to shut and lock the door to his bedroom as he believed the attack was going to continue.

"He then crawled back on to his bed and, as he graphically put it, tended to his injuries by 'just pushing everything back in'."

The jury was shown a police video interview of Mr Louden, made at his hospital bed in the Manchester Royal Infirmary a week later, in which he told how he tried to tackle the intruders.

"I just reacted," he said.

"I was just in flight and felt this unbelievable power strike me in the abdomen.

"I knew something had happened. I thought they were going to shoot me in the head."

Mr Brady told the jury that the motive for the attempted murder is not known but the conspiracy to commit the crime began six days earlier.

O'Donnell was the only one of the defendants to have prior contact with Mr Louden as his younger sisters were at school with the victim's daughters.

Mr Brady said the conspiracy had been "driven by O'Donnell", who contacted Ahmed, who worked at the Post Office on Rufford Avenue, and asked him to put together a team to carry out Mr Louden's murder.

"Moss was instrumental in the conspiracy for it was he who introduced Ahmed to Ward and Burke," said Mr Brady.

The prosecution claim that O'Donnell, driving a borrowed Fiat 500 XL car, drove to Glebelands Road to show the others Louden's address.

CCTV footage showed four men which, the prosecution say, included Moss, Burke and Ward, walking past Mr Louden's house on Sunday November 26.

But Mr Brady said Moss got cold feet about carrying out the shooting and there were attempts to recruit a replacement before the gang headed back to the house the following evening.

Then CCTV from Mr Louden's security cameras shows three men, two of whom the prosecution allege were Burke and his brother Ward, walking up the driveway just after 7.30pm.

"Burke can be seen to pull a firearm from his clothing, break the barrel and load it," said Mr Brady.

"Burke can be seen holding the firearm while standing in front of the door and taking a shooting position."

But something appears to have disturbed them and they left, only to return just before 8.40pm and smash their way into the back of the house through patio doors with he stock of the shotgun before confronting Mr Louden seconds later.

Afterwards police enquires led them to find the shotgun used in the shooting, hidden at 21-year-old Burke's home in Whinfell Drive, Middleton.

Burke denies he was at Mr Louden's home while O'Donnell, aged 24, of Carr Avenue, Prestwich, claims he only drove others to the house to get cannabis and that no one was supposed to be in the property or get hurt.

Ahmed, aged 29, of Greenstead Avenue, Manchester, claims he was not involved in the conspiracy and that O'Donnell had been planning to rob Mr Louden for months.

Matthew Moss, aged 28, of Rydal Avenue, Chadderton, claims he was helping a friend move house at the time of the shooting while Anthony Ward, aged 29, of Braithwaite Road, Middleton said he was with his girlfriend.

The trial continues.