YOU LEFT FAMILY IN ANGUISH
Gamekeeper jailed for seven years for manslaughter and colleague gets two years for firearm offence after pub car park death of friend:
TWO gamekeepers who were involved in the fatal shooting of a teenager in a pub car park have been locked up.
Peter Colwell, 18, died when a shotgun fired as he sat in a vehicle parked at the Ship Inn in Llanbedrog near Pwllheli in February 2017.
Ben Andrew Wilson, the owner of the gun and vehicle, had denied manslaughter by gross negligence but was found guilty by a jury at Caernarfon Crown Court last week.
The 29-year-old, now of Ely Street in Ely near Cambridge, was jailed for seven years.
He had admitted possession of a loaded firearm in a public place at the start of a trial in November, but the jury had failed to reach a verdict on the manslaughter charge and a retrial was held.
His co-accused, Benjamin George Fitzsimons, was cleared of manslaughter by the jury but he had been found guilty of possessing a loaded firearm in a public place at November’s trial. Sentence had been adjourned until the end of the retrial.
The 24-year-old, of Nanhoron near Pwllheli, was jailed for two years.
Mr Colwell’s father was in court to
see the men being sentenced.
Jailing the two men, Judge Rhys Rowlands said Wilson’s attitude towards handling and storage of weapons was “appallingly lax”.
Accepting that neither man showed any ill will towards the teenager, the judge said: “It is clear as a result of your criminally irresponsible behaviour a young man lost his life.
“This was an accident which could have so easily been avoided. It was an accident waiting to happen. An accident that caused the death of Peter Colwell and anguish for his family.”
The judge said guns and alcohol do not mix.
Earlier, he had heard victim personal statements from the teenager’s family.
His mum Fiona Brett paid tribute to her son, describing him as a “lovely charming little boy”.
“He has not had the chance to make a life for himself,” she said.
“Who knows what his life would have been but for the reckless act of others? He’ll never come back.”
Mr Colwell’s father Robert Jones said the death of his son has destroyed his family and “nothing will be the same again”.
He said that, when he was told of the teenager’s death, he could not believe it as gun safety had been instilled in him from an early age.
When Mr Jones saw his son’s body, the death became a “hard bitter reality”, he said.
Fitzsimons’ defence counsel, David Elias QC, said: “He has always known he should have done much more. It is clear he checked the gun but didn’t do it properly. This is something he will always have to live with.”
In mitigation, Anthony Berry QC, for Wilson, told the court he was admired by those who employed him as a “proper countryman” but is an immature individual.
“He had daily contact with his employer but was never told his handling of guns was inappropriate,” he added.
Mr Colwell had been out with Fitzsimons and Wilson and two other men drinking at the Ship Inn and the St Tudwals in Abersoch on the day he died.
During the trial, the jury heard Wilson’s loaded shotgun was in the footwell of his Land Rover Discovery with the barrel pointing to the rear of the vehicle.
The gun fired as Mr Colwell and the others were waiting for Wilson to return to the car.
Giving evidence in his defence, Fitzsimons told the court he checked the gun when he got into the car at Abersoch as he knew there were people in the back seat.
He removed one cartridge from the gun and “racked” it (tested the semiautomatic mechanism) twice more and, as no further cartridges were ejected, believed the weapon to be safe.
Fitzsimons added it was not his weapon and not his responsibility, but agreed he must have set off the gun – but had no recollection of how.
Wilson told the court he had left the vehicle as the others got in as he needed to answer a call of nature but rushed back when he heard a loud bang.
The judge ordered the shotgun involved in the shooting be forfeited. The Land Rover vehicle will also be confiscated.
Following the sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Gerwyn Thomas said: “The tragic death of 18-year-old Peter Colwell was totally avoidable and has left his family devastated.
“Those issued with gun licences for their work or for their leisure activities have a great responsibility to adhere to the strict licence conditions at all times for their own safety and the safety of others.”