A shop assistant was shot in the neck as he fought off a would-be robber armed with a gun and a taser.

Ibrahim Ahmedi spent three days in hospital after the raid at the International Foods off-licence in Ramsgate’ High Street.

He gave evidence today at the trial of two men accused of attempted robbery and three firearms offences.

Ryan Lee Diggens, 24, of Trove Court, Ramsgate, and Aleksandr Saprykin 40, of Chapel Place, Ramsgate both deny the charges.

Speaking from behind screens in the witness box at Canterbury Crown Court, Mr Ahmedi said: “I was shocked when I saw the gun.

“He started shooting and I realised I had to do something. I knew I had to take it off him."

Mr Ahmedi told the jury he recognised the gunman.

“He had been in the shop before and I recognised him straight away,” he said.

“He had come in for a few minutes with his girlfriend that morning and bought food and then left the shop.”

Mr Ahmedi said he had been behind the counter when two men and a woman came to the shop at about 1.30pm.

“Two males came inside and the female was waiting on the door to see who was coming and going,” he said. "I was on the till, on the counter.

"One of them had a gun and a taser as well.

"He took the gun out, saying ‘give me your bag of money’. I said no way and he started shooting.”

Mr Ahmedi, occasionally speaking through an interpreter, said the weapon was fired “five or six times at my face”.

He added: “I felt something but I didn't feel it much until between10 to 15 minutes afterwards.”

He said that the second man was wearing a hat and had his face covered but took it off as he left the shop.

The suspect was recognised by the assistant and later identified by Mr Ahmedi from his hospital bed when the ball bearing was removed from his neck.

Me Ahmedi claimed both men kicked him as he fought off the attack and they fled into the street.

Asked by defence lawyer Phil Rowley whether the second man had returned to help pull away the gunman, Mr Ahmedi replied: "He didn't come to help me, they came to kill me."

The prosecutor Peter Forbes told the jury that a weapon firing silver ball bearings was later discovered by police at the scene.

The trial continues.