Boy, 15, ‘blasted another 15-year-old in the face with a 12 gauge Beretta SHOTGUN from five feet away as he walked to school,’ court hears, as youngster appears on attempted murder charge
- Boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, faces charge of attempted murder as well as firearms offences in relation to incident which happened in Kesgrave
- Incident happened at 8.40am as the teenager who was injured walked to school
- While his injuries were described as life-threatening he is now in stable condition
- Boy appeared at Ipswich Crown Court but pleas were postponed while the judge ordered a psychiatric report for the defendant who was remanded in custody
A teenager allegedly blasted another boy in the face with a shotgun from a distance of around five feet, a court was told today.
The 15-year-old victim was said to have been on his way to school when he was shot and critically injured in an upmarket area of Kesgrave near Ipswich, Suffolk.
Another boy, also aged 15, is charged with attempted murder, possessing a shotgun with intent to cause fear of injury of another person, and possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life.
Police were called to reports that a teenager had been shot on the Grange Farm housing estate
The 15-year-old victim suffered serious injuries and was airlifted to Addenbrooke’s Hospital
The teenage suspect, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had been due to enter pleas to the charges today at Ipswich Crown Court.
But the case was adjourned until a plea hearing on February 22 next year to allow him to be examined by a psychologist who will prepare a report on him.
The court was told that a ballistics expert had concluded that the victim had been blasted with the 12 gauge Beretta Over and Under shotgun from a distance of about five feet.
Judge Martyn Levett told the court that he wanted more information about the likely angle of the gun when it was fired.
The teenager appeared in the dock today wearing a black suit with a striped tie and a face mask.
Judge Levett remanded him back into custody at a secure unit in Lincolnshire until the next hearing.
Police officers conduct a search in Kesgrave, Suffolk, where a 15-year-old student from Kesgrave High School was shot. A second boy, 15, faces a charge of attempted murder
Police officers and teachers outside Kesgrave High School, the school attended by a 15-year-old boy who was shot when he was on his way to school at the start of a new term
An earlier hearing heard how the teenager was said to have had a ‘conversation’ with the boy before allegedly shooting him at around 8.40am on the first day of the new school term.
He was treated at the scene in a residential area by paramedics before being flown to hospital by air ambulance.
The suspect was arrested by armed police around two hours later several miles away.
He was allegedly found in possession of a shotgun.
Suffolk Police originally said that the boy who was shot had suffered life-threatening injuries and was in a critical condition.
But it was disclosed on September 25 that he had regained consciousness in intensive care at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge.
Suffolk Police later said on October 8 that his injuries were no longer life-threatening and that he was in a stable condition in hospital.