Kesgrave schoolboy shooting: Boy, 16, guilty of attempted murder

The boy was shot in Kesgrave as he walked to school in September

A teenager who shot a boy in the face with a double-barrelled shotgun has been found guilty of attempted murder.

The victim, aged 15 at the time, was wounded as he left for school in Kesgrave, Suffolk, on 7 September.

The incident left him with "devastating and life-changing injuries" and he remained "partially paralysed", Ipswich Crown Court heard.

The defendant, 16, who cannot be named due to his age, had denied attempted murder and four other charges.

He told the court he wanted to "scare" the boy, who had caused him "humiliation and fear", but that he fired the gun unintentionally.

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The jury returned a verdict of guilty for the offences of attempted murder and a possession of a shotgun with intent to endanger the boy's life.

They returned a verdict of not guilty for causing fear of unlawful violence.

The shotgun used in the shooting was an over-and-under Beretta

Det Supt David Henderson said it was a "truly shocking incident, the like of which I have never encountered before".

He said: "The victim has suffered lifelong injuries as a result of this attack, which has been devastating for him and his family - some of whom had the additional trauma of going to his aid immediately after the shooting occurred.

"The guilty verdicts today may provide justice for the victim and his family, but this is just the beginning of a very long journey for them all.

"The victim had everything to look forward to in life that a teenager should have, but this attack has certainly robbed him of the remainder of his childhood and will likely impact on him well into his adult life."

'Very cool, very collected'

During the six-week trial, it had been heard the two boys had been friends and had known each other since primary school.

It was heard the victim was blasted by the over-and-under Beretta from a distance of less than 1.5m (5ft).

The injured boy's mother screamed "what have you done" three times in a CCTV clip played to the court.

A witness said the defendant appeared "very calm, very cool, very collected" after the shooting and "didn't seem to have any urgency about him".

He drove from the scene in his father's car and was arrested later that morning by armed police as he sat in the parked car five miles away in Ipswich, with officers describing him as "smiling".

In police bodycam footage played to the court, the teenager told officers: "I've done what I wanted to do, as scummy as it is."

He also told officers that the arrest was "exciting".

The court heard a friend of the defendant told police the victim had been dominant over the defendant

The defendant previously admitted to possession of a shotgun with intent to cause fear of injury to the boy.

A charge of unlawfully wounding the boy with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm was vacated by the judge Martyn Levett.

The defendant was remanded in custody ahead of sentencing which is due to take place on 3 September.