Man jailed for two years for shooting toddler with air rifle

A man who shot an 18-month-old boy in the head with an air rifle leaving the youngster with brain damage and limited vision has been jailed for two years.

Jordan Walters, 25, fired the gun at Harry Studley, the son of a friend, in his Bristol flat after taking the weapon out to clean it.

He said the gun, kept in the kitchen cupboard and used to shoot rats, went off accidentally, but Harry’s mother, Amy Allen, 21, insists Walters aimed it at her son. She is calling for tighter controls on high-powered air rifles.

Jailing Walters for inflicting grievous bodily harm, Judge Julian Lambert said: “You bear a very heavy burden of responsibility for a crime that left a little boy fighting for his life and which leaves him with serious permanent disability.

“But for your grossly irresponsible behaviour Harry Studley would today be a bouncing little boy with unlimited expectations ahead of him in his life.”

He continued: “The risk involved in pointing any rifle into a room where people are present is gross and obvious.”

In a victim impact statement read to the court, the boy’s mother said: “The moment I heard the gun go off and I realised Harry was bleeding my whole world collapsed. Instantly I was heartbroken. I thought he was going to die.”

In a further statement issued outside Bristol crown court, Allen and Harry’s father, Ed Studley, said: “Harry’s struggles continue and will do for the rest of his life and that cannot be changed. Fortunately we still have Harry in our lives. We are looking forwards now and not backwards.

“As a family we would like to see changes made to the law so that people who possess high-powered air rifles are made to be more responsible for their actions while at home or elsewhere.”

Harry has 50% vision in his right eye and 25% in his left. He suffers mood swings, forgetfulness, has several seizures a day, and the pellet will have to stay in his head for the rest of his life.

Walters’ girlfriend, Emma Horseman, had been accused of encouraging him to shoot Harry to “shut him up” because he was crying. She denied doing so and was cleared of involvement by a jury.

Defending Walters, Pushpanjali Gohil said he was not a menace to society and showed genuine remorse over his act.

Gohil said the incident, which took place in July last year, would haunt Walters for the rest of his life and added: “I cannot apologise enough on his behalf to the family about what has happened.”

Outside court, DI Simon Brickwood said: “Harry is very lucky to be alive and the reason he was able to pull through is down to the expert medical attention he received.

“Jordan Walters’ actions on that day were reckless to the extreme and he’ll have to find a way to live with what he’s done for the rest of his life. The shooting had a profound effect on the local community and the city of Bristol as a whole.”