JURORS were played the 999 call made by Guy Hedger's husband after masked intruders shot him in the chest for setting off a panic alarm.

During the call Simon Hedger-Cooper explained their house had been broken into, and at one point appeared to be in tears, sounding panicked and short of breath.

Mr Hedger can be heard multiple times groaning in pain in the background, with his husband reassuring him "we have got an ambulance coming, darling".

Mr Hedger was killed at around 3am on April 30 after intruders entered his £1 million home in Castlewood, Ashley, near Ringwood, Hampshire.

A post-mortem examination found that the 61-year-old died as a result of gunshot wounds.

Jason Baccus, 42, and Scott Keeping, 44, both of Verney Close, Bournemouth, along with Kevin Downton, 40, of Winterborne Stickland, near Blandford, all deny murder.

Describing the night of the burglary, Mr Lickley said that when the men first went to the address they were disturbed and went off for a couple of hours - during which time they allegedly burgled two properties at the industrial estate - but later returned.

The couple were made aware of intruders when their dog started barking and ran down the stairs.

Mr Hedger went downstairs to see what was wrong, before returning shortly afterwards followed by the masked men.

The court heard that Mr Hedger-Cooper told police he remembered the man not holding the gun carrying two champagne bottles upside down.

The prosecution say these were taken from a wine rack in Mr Hedger's garage and were being held as weapons.

Mr Hedger-Cooper said that when his husband could not remember the combination to the safes, he offered to help and on his way into the dressing room where they were kept pressed a panic button.

Mr Lickley said: "Simon Hedger-Cooper said he would open it for him and moved towards the safes. But on the wall they have a panic button and as he went past, he pressed it.

"He had been thinking they might be shot anyway so he thought it best to press the button.

"When the panic button was pressed this set off the alarm and lights started flashing outside.

"Mr Simon Hedger-Cooper said almost straight away he heard a big boom and Mr Hedger saying 'I have been shot', or 'I have been hit, help I've been shot'."

Jurors heard that both men then fled from the house, leaving Mr Hedger-Cooper to go downstairs in order to find a phone and call for help.

Helen Keeping, 40, from Poole, denies two charges of assisting an offender relating to Baccus by allegedly disposing of stolen property and fellow defendant Keeping by allegedly providing him with a false alibi and disposing of stolen property.

The three male defendants also pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated burglary and possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear or violence.

Baccus and Downton admit one charge of burglary of industrial premises in Verwood on the same day as the Castlewood incident, but deny another offence of burglary in the same area.

The trial continues.