A man being hunted after a shotgun attack today vowed to give himself up to police in a bid to clear his name.

Detectives want to interview him following allegations he fired a volley of shots at a man in Glenhurst Road, Southend, leaving the victim with wounds to his face and skull.

But in an extraordinary interview with the Evening Echo, he said: "I never shot him, I've never shot anyone."

As part of their hunt for the gunman, armed police and dog handlers swooped on Cromer Road, Southend, on Tuesday but their suspect managed to slip the net despite a police helicopter hovering above the area.

Police said they reacted after receiving reports that he was driving around the area and previous intelligence suggested he could be armed.

The man who told the Evening Echo he was being hunted by police for the attack said he was prepared to walk into a police station, sooner rather than later.

He said: "I never shot him, I've never shot anyone. I don't own a gun and I wasn't driving around with one. He's got something against me.

"We used to be friends. His girlfriend left him and went out with me.

"He claims I'm a crackhead but there's no way I am. I'll even submit to a drug test when I give myself up."

The victim, in his thirties, said he was in hiding under police protection and had not been able to see his six-year-old son since the incident.

Details of the suspect's conversation with the Evening Echo have been passed to the police.

Published Friday, April 18, 2003

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