A man has been jailed for shooting a teenage boy with a BB gun in Poole, leaving his victim with a serious eye injury.
Benjamin Philip Brown, aged 21 and of Tatnam Crescent in Poole, appeared on Friday 2 November 2018 at Bournemouth Crown Court to be sentenced after admitting offences of inflicting grievous bodily harm and assault.
Hannah Sherwood, aged 21 and of Seatown Close in Poole, also appeared at the court to be sentenced for a charge of perverting the course of justice.
Brown was sentenced to two years and two months in prison. Sherwood received a three-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, as well as a rehabilitation activity requirement and 80 hours of unpaid work in the community.
The grievous bodily harm offence related to an incident at around 8pm on Sunday 31 December 2017.
A local boy, who was 13 at the time, was walking along Wimborne Road, near to the junction with Tatnam Road when he felt something hit him in the leg. He turned round and was struck in the eye by a small object.
The victim was assisted by two people at a nearby bus stop and was taken to hospital for treatment to his injured eye.
He has required regular treatment ever since and has been told by doctors he may never fully recover complete sight in the eye.
Following enquiries by officers, which included taking the victim back to the scene of the incident and searches recovering two BB gun pellets nearby, Brown was arrested on Tuesday 2 January 2018.
When arrested, he admitted owning a BB gun, but claimed he had disposed of it prior to the incident.
Sherwood, Brown’s girlfriend, told police he had taken the gun to the dump on New Year’s Eve. However, a video was later recovered from her phone showing a BB gun being used in their flat at around 10pm on New Year’s Eve.
The weapon was never recovered.
The assault charge relates to a woman aged in her 20s who contacted officers having seen an appeal issued by police in relation to the incident involving the teenager.
She claimed that on New Year’s Day she was sitting at a bus stop on Wimborne Road when she saw a man leaning out of a window firing pellets at another man, who appeared to be known to him. One of the pellets hit her on the leg. She did not require any hospital treatment.
A 20-year-old Poole man arrested on suspicion of wounding with intent in connection with the News Year’s Eve incident was released without charge.
Detective Constable Jo Poultney, of Bournemouth CID, said: “The teenage victim in this case has been left with a serious injury that could have an impact for many years, if not the rest of his life.
“This case demonstrates the significant consequences that can result if people behave in an irresponsible manner with weapons of this nature – they are not toys and can cause devastating injuries.
“I would like to thank all the witnesses who came forward and those who assisted with this investigation, which resulted in the offender being identified and brought before the court.”
