A teenager who shot a man with an air pistol in the face in a close range attack has been detained.
The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to grievous bodily harm with intent and possessing an imitation firearm.
A second defendant Joshua Soal, 21, was also sentenced for his part in the attack which left a man with eye damage.
The court heard that the victim Lewis Thompson had attended a house in Graig y Rhacca,Caerphilly , on February 6 to watch Wales play England in a Six Nations match.
This is how the attack happened
In the early hours of the following morning, Mr Thompson was walking outside.
As he walked past a house, the teenage defendant, who was 16 at the time, came out of the front door and started shouting abuse at him.
Prosecutor Ieuan Roberts said: “(The boy) opened his arm out pointing something at Mr Thompson, who thought it was a gun.”
He said the teenager started to shoot at Mr Thompson repeatedly and three rounds were fired.
He said: “One hit him to the eye lid, the second shot pellet stuck in his right cheek and a third shot hit him in the chin.
“After the ball bearing struck him on his face, Lewis Thompson recalls bleeding profusely and he had a limited view of who was doing what.”
The boy then went on to punch Mr Thompson and Soal became involved, took Mr Thompson to the ground and both began kicking and stamping on his body.
Read more: Teen pointed airgun at dad of four during road-rage argument as his children sat in the car
The attack only stopped when a passer-by thought the victim was dead
Mr Thompson was taken to the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport where a pellet was removed from his cheek.
He suffered a wound to his eyelid and a fractured jawbone.
The defendants were arrested and both subsequently pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm with intent and the boy also pleaded guilty to possession of an imitation firearm.
The teenager was on bail at the time of the arrest for an affray, which he subsequently pleaded guilty to.
The victim was left with scars and is scared to go out
In a victim impact statement, Mr Thompson said: “The shooting has affected my eyesight. It’s now restricted and I struggle to read on my phone.
“I have a scar on my right eyebrow and on my cheek.
“I am depressed and I stay indoors because I am scared to go out.
“Since the incident I have been back and forth to the hospital where I have had operations on the inside of my mouth to move pellets from my cheek. It has changed my life.”
The teenager’s defence claimed that he had been bullied by Mr Thompson and that he had become confident when the imitation firearm was in his hand.
'A serious and deliberate assault'
Soal’s defence asked the judge to take into account his lesser role in the attack.
In his sentencing remarks, Judge Jonathan Furness QC said Mr Thompson suffered from continuing problems with his eyesight and was now leading a different lifestyle.
He added: “This is a serious and deliberate assault.
“Mr Thompson was shot three times in the face with metal pellets with a BB gun at a range of no more than 15 feet. He was punched, kicked and stamped on.”
The teenager was sentenced to five years and eight months detention at a young offenders’ institute, while Soal, of Longfellow Gardens, Graig y Rhacca, was sentenced to six years imprisonment.
see-http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/man-shot-face-body-kicked-10839155
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