Peter Colwell shooting: Accused claims gun was tampered with

Peter Colwell died in February last year

A gamekeeper whose shotgun went off in a 4x4 vehicle, killing an 18-year-old colleague, has said his weapon must have been tampered with.

Ben Wilson, of Ely, Cambridge, told Caernarfon Crown Court he left the shotgun "in a safe state" on the night Peter Colwell, 18, was killed.

Mr Colwell was shot in the vehicle outside the Ship Inn pub in Llanbedrog, near Pwllheli, on 5 February last year.

Mr Wilson denies manslaughter through gross negligence.

He said he was not in the Land Rover Discovery at the time of the shooting and told the jury: "There was no way in hell that weapon could have gone off without someone else touching it."

Ben Fitzsimons, 23, of Nanhoron, Pwllheli, also denies manslaughter through gross negligence.

The trial continues.

The teenager was shot outside The Ship Inn