Second man arrested over shooting at house owned by Russell Kane

Cage fighter Paul Allen, 41, who played a part in Britain's biggest ever cash robbery worth £53 million, was shot around 11pm on July 11.

Police have arrested a second man over a shooting at a house owned by comedian Russell Kane.

Cage fighter Paul Allen, 41, who played a part in Britain’s biggest ever cash robbery worth £53 million, was shot around 11pm on July 11.

A witness claimed he was shot in the throat during the incident.

The attacker was said to have appeared at the back of the property in a car, before firing at the home six times.

Armed officers were called to the scene in Malvern Drive, Woodford Green, north-east London, and the victim was taken to hospital with gunshot injuries.

Scotland Yard said he remains in a critical condition as they announced a second arrest.

A 28-year-old man was arrested on Saturday on suspicion of attempted murder and firearms offences, and remains in custody.

A man, aged in his fifties, was arrested on the same day on suspicion of attempted murder and firearms offences, and has since been bailed to return on a date in mid-August.

Police said officers continue to follow a number of lines of inquiry and appealed for witnesses to come forward.

The witness, who asked to remain anonymous, said: ‘The gunman had driven to the back of his house and gone through the garden. The back of his house is just a big window, so you can see inside clearly.

‘Whoever it was then shot six times into the window. This was before all I see is police arriving, an ambulance and a Swat team with guns.

‘We waited outside the house. Then I saw him taken out on a stretcher. He was covered in blood, on his stomach, his neck. The paramedics said that he had been shot in the neck.’

The man said a woman was in ‘hysterics’ and described the scene as ‘like something in a war film’.

The house is understood to be rented by stand-up and television comic Kane, who lives in Manchester.

His spokeswoman said: ‘Russell’s thoughts are with the victim and his family at this terrible time. No further comments will be made whilst the incident is being investigated by the police.’

Shooting victim Allen was the trusted lieutenant of Lee ‘Lightning’ Murray, who masterminded the Securitas heist.

A gang, with some posing as police officers, kidnapped the manager of the Securitas depot and his family at gunpoint.

Police later recovered £21 million of the missing cash, but the remaining £32 million was never found.

Allen, then a father of three, admitted charges of conspiracy to rob, kidnap and possess firearms in relation to the heist at Woolwich Crown Court in September 2009 as a retrial was about to begin.

He pleaded guilty on the basis that he was not one of the robbers who entered the depot, or one of the kidnappers, and that he did not handle any firearms.

Allen fled to Morocco with Murray before he was arrested after four months and locked up in Rabat prison.

He spent 20 months in the jail before he was brought back to Britain to face trial in January 2008.

Allen was jailed for 18 years and was later excused from paying back his alleged share during a secret court hearing.