A MAN accused of gunning down a dad appeared "agitated" as he learned of the shooting, a court heard.

Francis Coates was also said to have asked one woman what had happened after gunshot victim John Finnegan was found dying in the street.

The evidence was heard at the trial of 36-year-old Coates and James McCarron, 33, who are charged with murdering Mr Finnegan in Neilston, Renfrew- shire.

The 48-year-old is said to have been shot on the evening of October 27 last year.

Witness Grace Finnegan yesterday recalled being out in Neilston that night, including meeting the deceased. She later heard ambulance sirens and went to see what was going on.

The 55-year-old – who is married to Mr Finnegan's cousin – discovered that he had been shot.

While she was standing in the street, Mrs Finnegan said she heard Coates.

The witness told the jury: "He shouted: 'Grace, what has happened?' I told him John had been shot."

Prosecutor Jonathan Brodie QC asked: "In the way he behaved, how did he appear to you?"

The witness replied: "Nervous, shocked – his eyes were quite big."

She added: "He just seemed to me to be shocked and agitated at what had happened."

Mr Finnegan, also of Neilston, was rushed to hospital after being shot in the face, but never recovered.

Coates and McCarron deny murder.