Lancet Jades
03-27-2004, 09:18 PM
Blind date gun horror
By PHILIP CARDY
A MAN who shot a woman within the first hour of meeting her on a blind date was jailed yesterday.
John Horgan, 35, tried to impress Victoria Bleasdale by playing with his air rifle but let it off and hit her in the chest.
He pointed the gun at her and said “bang” — but pulled the trigger, a court heard.
Prosecutor Richard Haworth said: “She felt tremendous pain to her upper chest area and realised she had been shot.”
Horgan, of Preston, Lancs, rang for an ambulance and accompanied Victoria to hospital.
Surgeons found the pellet which had lodged by her armpit but decided not to operate.
Mr Haworth said the couple were introduced through friends last September and exchanged a series of text messages before arranging a “blind date weekend”.
He said Horgan visited Victoria’s house and after an hour of chatting he went to his car and returned with the rifle.
He said: “This was a stupid, reckless act, disobeying the prime rule of firearms — not to point the weapon, even in jest.”
Horgan admitted malicious wounding at Preston Crown Court and was sent to prison for 12 months.
His lawyer Keith Thomas said: “He was trying to impress a girl on a blind date. He accepts that what he did was criminally reckless.”
By PHILIP CARDY
A MAN who shot a woman within the first hour of meeting her on a blind date was jailed yesterday.
John Horgan, 35, tried to impress Victoria Bleasdale by playing with his air rifle but let it off and hit her in the chest.
He pointed the gun at her and said “bang” — but pulled the trigger, a court heard.
Prosecutor Richard Haworth said: “She felt tremendous pain to her upper chest area and realised she had been shot.”
Horgan, of Preston, Lancs, rang for an ambulance and accompanied Victoria to hospital.
Surgeons found the pellet which had lodged by her armpit but decided not to operate.
Mr Haworth said the couple were introduced through friends last September and exchanged a series of text messages before arranging a “blind date weekend”.
He said Horgan visited Victoria’s house and after an hour of chatting he went to his car and returned with the rifle.
He said: “This was a stupid, reckless act, disobeying the prime rule of firearms — not to point the weapon, even in jest.”
Horgan admitted malicious wounding at Preston Crown Court and was sent to prison for 12 months.
His lawyer Keith Thomas said: “He was trying to impress a girl on a blind date. He accepts that what he did was criminally reckless.”