THE man accused of murdering Westhoughton dad Michael Blake claims he was killed when a gun went off during a struggle.

Nathan Daniels told Manchester Crown Court that 28-year-old Mr Blake pulled the gun on him following an argument and, as he tried to grab it, it went off twice.

Giving evidence in his own defence, Daniels told a jury that Mr Blake had hold of the gun and shot himself, once in the knee and then again in the back of the head.

Mr Blake died from the head wound within hours after Daniels drove him back to his Manchester Road home and left him lying outside.

The defence had previously suggested that the bullets which hit Mr Blake had ricocheted inside

Daniels’ van, which he had stopped in an isolated area of an industrial estate off Long Lane on the evening of November 3 last year.

But, after examining the shorts and quilted Burberry jacket Mr Blake had been wearing at the time, both prosecution and defence ballistics experts agreed that, from soot deposits around bullet holes in the clothing, the gun had been fired at close range.

Prosecution expert Khaldoun Kabbai told the court: “The findings indicate both shots were fired with the muzzle of the weapon in contact or near contact with the deceased’s clothing. We are talking less than 10mm.”

Daniels, aged 28, of Nottingham Avenue, Stockport, is representing himself at the trial and denies murder and possessing a firearm.

Giving evidence from the witness box, the married father-of-two told the jury of five women and seven men that Michael Blake was a friend who had previously approached him about getting involved in a crashing a car for an insurance payout.

Daniels, who ran his own gas fitting, electrician and appliance company, said he refused to get involved but offered to buy Mr Blake’s Audi after it had been damaged.

Daniels claimed he gave Mr Blake a £2,500 down payment but never received the car.

He alleged Mr Blake gave it to someone else he owed money to and that Mr Blake repeatedly ignored his calls and texts, fobbing him off when he asked for his money back.

On the night of November 3, Daniels said he decided to drive his Transit van to Mr Blake’s Westhoughton home to ask for the money and took friends Nathan Quigley and Joe Wilson with him for support in case of trouble.

Daniels said Mr Blake opened the house door, shook his hand and agreed to get the money.

“Give us a lift somewhere and we’ll sort it out,” Daniels claimed Mr Blake told him.

But an argument developed in the van and Daniels said he told Mr Blake to get out and stopped the vehicle. He added that he went to open van’s side door to order Mr Blake out of the rear seat.

“When I looked Michael had a gun in his hand. I thought ‘oh,oh’. It was a scary situation,” he said.

He added that he used both hands to push the handgun away when it went off with a bang.

“We were just struggling with the gun,” he said, adding that he managed to get the weapon off Mr Blake after it went off for a second time and then realised he had been seriously hurt.

Andrew Thomas QC, prosecuting repeatedly asked Daniels why he did not phone for an ambulance, but Daniels claimed he first thought it would be quicker to drive Mr Blake to hospital, but got lost so left the injured man back outside his Manchester Road home instead.

He later enlisted friends Brendon Fallon and John Edwards to clean the blood covered van.

“I knew he (Mr Blake) was hurt but I didn’t know he was going to die,” said Daniels.

“Ok, he pulled a gun on me but he didn’t deserve to die. I have to live with what happened for the rest of my life.”

Daniels said he planned to hand himself into police on November 14, but was arrested in Burnley the day before.

“I am not a murderer and not a bad person,” Daniels insisted.

“I wouldn’t throw my life away to do something like this. My children and my family are my whole world.”

The trial continues.