78-year-old shot his great-grandson dead with air rif le
A PENSIONER is facing jail after admitting killing his six- year- old greatgrandson with an air rifle.
Albert Grannon, 78, was said by police to have ‘shown no real remorse’ for what happened to schoolboy Stanley Metcalf.
The little boy was visiting his great-grandparents last July when he was shot in the stomach. He was rushed to hospital where he died later that day.
Grannon pleaded guilty to manslaughter by gross negligence and of possessing a .22calibre air rifle without a certificate when he appeared at Hull Crown Court yesterday.
The tragedy has devastated the family, many of whom were in court for the hearing.
Grannon was released on bail but warned he could be jailed when he is sentenced in three weeks. Judge Peter Kelson, QC, told him: ‘This case, as well as tragic, is very serious.
‘It’s entirely possible that a prison sentence will follow. You must prepare for that.’
John Elvidge QC, prosecuting, said the sentencing needed to be adjourned for pre- sentence reports.
No details of the tragic incident were given in court but Grannon’s barrister Paul Genney told the judge his client was ‘not in the best of health’.
Stanley was shot while visiting Grannon and his wife Jennifer, 77, in the East Yorkshire village of Sproatley. The couple, who had five children, recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary when tragedy struck.
In a statement, Stanley’s family described him as being ‘vibrant and full of energy’.
They added: ‘We are absolutely devastated and completely heartbroken without Stanley and it still doesn’t feel real that we won’t see his happy, smiling face again.
‘There are no real words to express how the loss of Stanley has affected us and we all miss him so much. Stanley was a loving, caring and beautiful boy.’
Yesterday Detective Inspector Rebecca Dickinson of Humberside Police said Stanley’s life had been ‘cut so needlessly short’ by Grannon’s actions.
His death has left parents Jenny and Andy heartbroken, along with his twin sister Elsie and other family members.
Elsie sat on top of the horsedrawn hearse carrying Stanley’s coffin as it arrived at his funeral Guilty plea: Grannon, right, outside court yesterday. Above: The home where Stanley was shot last year. The cortege received a guard of honour from mourners in superhero costumes.
Miss Dickinson said: ‘Stanley Metcalf was a fun-loving, football-mad little boy with loving parents and loving siblings. It makes it all the more tragic that it was a member of his own family who was ultimately responsible for his untimely death.
‘ I am pleased that Albert Grannon has finally admitted his guilt and faced up to the enormity of his actions. Up until now he has shown no real remorse for what happened.’ The detective said Stanley and Elsie were ‘inseparable’, adding: ‘I can only imagine what she will feel like now and when she reaches any milestones in her life, knowing that she should be sharing them with Stanley.
‘There are no winners in this at all. It has been an extremely upsetting case to investigate for all my officers.
‘It is a nightmare that Stanley’s family have had to live through every day since last July, and will have to live through from now on.’
‘Shown no real remorse’