Gun pellet man’s hell
A MAN blasted in the chest with a shotgun back in 2007 believes his wounds will eventually kill him.
Joe Clarke, 43, was peppered with 150 pellets from a sawn-off shotgun when he answered the door.
Despite 20 ops, most of the pellets in his back, neck and head are still there.
Doctors refuse to operate as they are close to vital organs including two bits of metal wedged in his heart.
No one was caught for the attempted murder after a case was dropped against five suspects believed to have plotted to kill him.
The former oil rig worker from Consett, Co Durham, said: “Sometimes I wish I hadn’t survived. They took the life that I had.”
Durham Constabulary said they would consider any new information.
STAY-AT-HOMERS headed for the great outdoors yesterday as the sun beat down on lockdown Britain and put a spring in everyone’s step.
Thousands flocked to beaches and parks as the UK basked in the welcome winter sunshine.
Among them were paddle boarder Anna Heslop, 25, and her dog, Merlin, who enjoyed a stunning sunrise in Cullercoats Bay, North Tyneside.
Roller bladers and cyclists set their wheels in motion alongside walkers in Greenwich, London. And Olivia Hadlington, eight, and her four-year-old sister Hermione leapt at the chance of spending the morning at their local park in Halesowen, West Mids.
Back on the coast, a bobble-hatted swimmer went for a dip in Southend-on-sea, Essex. And a brave toddler tucked into an ice lolly on Bridlington beach, East Yorks.
Southern England saw the finest weather and it will continue for much of today, with highs of 15C in London.
But the winter warmer will end tomorrow when cold air from Scandinavia sends temperatures back to single figures. While the first week of March will be “dry and relatively calm”, forecasters expect varied weather next week – and some areas might even see snow.
ICE DAY: Bridlington tot stays cool