A Wirral paintballer left a friend with potentially life-changing injuries after shooting him in the face.
Kyle Blackburn, 34, of Lingham Lane, Moreton, admitted an offence of causing grievous bodily harm without intent when he appeared at Chester Magistrates' Court on Friday, 30th May 2025.
This is an offence under section 20 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861, which has a maximum sentence of 12 months' custody on summary conviction; 5 years' custody on conviction on indictment.
Magistrates heard that Blackburn had been attending a stag weekend in Frodsham when the incident took place.
During a lull in a paintballing session one of the group, Matthew Hoey, joked that he had not been hit once. Blackburn responded by shooting him in the face.
The paintball struck Mr Hoey in the eye and he immediately fell to the ground in pain.
For all Blackburn intended to shoot Mr Hoey, he did not intend to hit him in the eye. It would appear the incident is the result of an unthinking moment on the part of the defendant.
The court heard that the offence is particularly serious, as there is a chance that Mr Hoey will lose the sight in his injured eye and have to undergo medical treatment for the rest of his life.
Given the severity of the allegation, which has a 2-year starting point, Magistrates' declined jurisdiction and sent the matter to Chester Crown Court for sentencing.
Blackburn was granted unconditional bail until his sentencing hearing on Friday, 11th July 2025.
No comments:
Post a Comment