A GUNMAN wearing make-up knocked on the door of a house before asking his terrified victim: "Do you mind if I shoot you?", a court heard.

John Devaney was armed with a realistic replica handgun and aimed it at householder Martin Kilcoyne, said Peter Cadwallader, prosecuting at Bolton Crown Court.

Just half an hour earlier, Devaney pointed the gun - which was later found to be capable only of firing plastic pellets - at his own head after calling at the home of a mother of two.

The court heard that Devaney, aged 20, of Newby Road, Breightmet, was driven between the two houses by Ian Dalgleish, aged 32, of Tarleton Place, off Hulton Lane.

Devaney was initially spotted wielding the gun at Middlebrook retail park on Monday, July 26, last year, sparking a major police hunt.

Devaney was then driven to Katherine Hope's house in Rutherford Drive, Over Hulton.

Devaney knocked on the door as Mrs Hope was about to go to bed.

Instead of opening the door, she went to the side door of the semi-detached house and saw Devaney standing with a black pistol pointed at his own head.

After leaving Mrs Hope on the verge of tears and fearing for her life, the pair drove to Daubhill and woke Mr Kilcoyne at his home in St Helen's Road, and produced the gun, said Mr Cadwallader.

"Devaney went to take something out of his waistband and made a cocking motion which made me think it was a gun," said father-of-two Mr Kilcoyne.

He told the court that Devaney then asked if he could shoot him.

"Then he aimed the gun at me and I ran inside. I was very scared," he said.

In a statement read to the court, Mr Kilcoyne described Devaney as wearing a red bandanna over his head and having a dark circle of make-up on each cheek.

It was not until 2am, after he had confronted Mr Kilcoyne at his house in St Helens Road, that police swooped on Dalgleish, Devaney and a third man who was not charged with any offence.

The gun was found in the rear footwell of the car and the three were arrested.

Mr Cadwallader said: "The people in this case did not know it was an imitation. That only became clear later on."

Devaney and Dalgleish are charged with three counts of possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear.

They deny the charges.

(Proceeding)