A man who gunned down his daughter's partner in a row over the couple moving in said he "only meant to frighten him".

Former police firearm's instructor David Hucker, 69, blasted Robert Williamson twice with a 12-bore shotgun after the pair argued at his home in Dartford Road, Dartford, in May.

Maidstone Crown Court heard how Hucker's daughter Samantha and Mr Williamson, 43, had been in a relationship for more than 15 years.

Hucker and Mr Williamson had been close – Hucker had got him into the Freemasons and had given his blessing for him to take the family name.

But in the months before May 11 he had discovered Mr Williamson had a cocaine habit which by the time of his death would be costing £1,000 a week.

It left Samantha and Northfleet construction worker Mr Williamson in financial difficulty, Hucker told defence barrister Oliver Saxby QC, and meant they had to move into his home.

On the morning of May 11, Mr Williamson arrived at the house to move belongings in.

Hucker was making him a bacon and egg sandwich when Mr Williamson became entangled in a fly screen and began "going off alarming".

Eventually he freed himself and Hucker gave him his food, telling him to "shove it where the sun don't shine".

Mr Williamson then said "**** you and **** your daughter, this house is going up for sale next week."

Hucker told him to "*** off and don't come back" and Mr Williamson got in his car and "roared off".

But he returned later on carrying another box, with wet hair and something that "looked like talcum powder" smeared beside his nose.

Another row followed during which Mr Williamson said "no wonder she left you", in reference to Hucker's ex-wife, and walked upstairs laughing.

"By this point it was just a blur," Hucker told the jury.

He picked up his shotgun – packed up ahead of a safety lesson that afternoon – and loaded two cartridges into it before following Mr Williamson upstairs.

He would later tell police he had loaded it as he intended to shoot the ceiling.

"I lost the plot. I was intending to frighten him," he said. "I was intending to fire it just once... to put a shot into the ceiling to let him know he had said too much... as a warning."

Upon seeing the weapon Mr Williamson said: "You'll never fire that gun again, I'm ringing the police," causing Hucker to want to "warn him" and "shut him up".

• To read more of our in depth coverage of all of the major trials coming out of crown and magistrates' courts across the county, click here.

• For information on how we can report on court proceedings, click here.

The 999 call which followed would record a loud crack followed by Mr Williamson saying "He's just shot me in the ******* chest!"

Hucker could be heard saying "I ******* warned ya" before a second crack and a thud which sounded like a body slumping to the floor.

Hucker then picked up another telephone, claiming he didn't realise Mr Williamson had already dialled 999, and told the operator: "I've just shot him... I was sensible 'til about five, 10 minutes ago."

He told the jury he had intended for both shots, the first which hit Mr Williamson's chest and the second his head, to hit the ceiling.

He told prosecutor Nicholas Corsellis QC previous comments made to neighbour Barry Palmer that Mr Williamson's "gobby" attitude was "nothing a shotgun couldn't fix" were made "jokingly for banter".

Samantha Hucker previously told the court how the pair were "alpha males" who had threatened to kill each other before.

Mr Williamson "was a little bit of a Jekyll and Hyde character," she said.

She said she was aware of violence after Mr Williamson had taken cocaine "but not towards me".

The court previously heard when police arrived Hucker said: "I used to be a firearms instructor for 40 years and what did I do, shoot the ****** son-in-law?"

Hucker has no previous convictions and trained Met, Kent and City of London armed police officers for more than 30 years.

He would go shooting "sometimes up to seven days a week" and previously worked at JJ's Clay Shooting Club in Darenth Woods, near Bean.

Hucker denies murder. The trial continues.