A BOY fled home crying after a man pointed an imitation gun at his head and pulled the trigger, a jury was told.

Maurice Puttock, father of the six-year-old, said he felt like beating up the man with the gun, adding: "I wanted to kill him but I just told him to clear off."

Steven Poggiani, aged 29, of Kimberlee Avenue, Cookley, near Kidderminster, denies having a firearm with intent to cause fear or violence on August 21 last year. He also denies setting fire to Mr Puttock's BMW car.

The background to the case began with an incident in November 1998, when Mr Puttock, of Elan Close, Cookley, used a toy gun to threaten children playing in the street, said Tariq Shakoor, prosecuting.

One of them was Poggiani's nephew.

Puttock, who was later prosecuted, told the jury: "I was wrong. I wish I hadn't done it."

He was awaiting sentence when Poggiani, apparently the worse for drink, walked past his drive and called obscenities.

A short time later, Poggiani returned with a black automatic pistol, pointed at his chest and said: "Bang, bang, you're dead."

Mr Puttock said he was "a bit scared" at the time although he was not 100 per cent sure it was a real gun. But he became annoyed when Poggiani put the gun to his son Christopher's forehead and said the same words.

"How does it feel for me to do it to your lad?" Poggiani said, and later returned to the Puttock house seeking a fight.

The prosecution alleges he threw a lighted rag into Mr Puttock's BMW and caused £400 damage.

Poggiani told police he was angry because Mr Puttock had frightened the children and was going to get away with it.

He got abusive after Mr Puttock smirked at him but he denied pointing the gun at anyone or setting fire to the car.

The trial continues.