A BRIERLEY Hill businessman has been cleared of shooting his brother in a row over the family firm.

Jason Paskin was accused of using a nail gun to wound 34-year-old Ricky Paskin, after he secretly set up his own pallet making operation to compete with the family business.

Jason Paskin, aged 37, maintained in evidence to the jury at Wolverhampton Crown Court the gun had gone off accidentally as he grappled with Ricky.

Jason said they were squabbling over the tool and added: “He held the nail gun up in his hand. I thought he was going to shoot me.

“I knocked his hand away to stop him. We scuffled and I pushed him. He pushed me back and it went off. It was his finger on the trigger.”

On Friday September 19, the jury returned a unanimous not guilty verdict against Jason Paskin on a charge of wounding his brother and he was also cleared of assaulting Lance Bloomer, who worked for the rival pallet firm.

The prosecution had claimed it had not gone down well when Ricky Paskin left his father’s firm, Paskin Pallets in Peartree Lane, to set up in competition by launching his own operation just four miles away.

It lead to problems with the family and threats were made because Ricky Paskin was undercutting their prices using a list he copied from the family firm’s computer.

Ricky Paskin in evidence claimed he had been shot deliberately by his brother at point blank range and he suffered a wound to his hip that required hospital treatment.

He told the court: “Jason went to fetch the nail gun I used for work, he put the nail gun against my side and fired. I was hit on the left hip. It felt like a sharp pinch.”

Ricky Paskin then admitted under cross examination that before the fight with his brother he had pushed a man off his ladder who was working near the family firm in a row over billboarding.

He had pleaded guilty assault at court after first denying all responsibility, Richard Bond, defending Jason Paskin, told Ricky: “You were prepared to tell lies to the police then and you are quite prepared to tell lies about this incident with your brother.”

Jason Paskin who lives in Brackendale Avenue, Walsall would not make any comment about his brother’s conduct after being cleared on the two charges.