Parents shot children with BB gun over chores

Five children were shot by their parents with a BB gun if they failed to do the dishes properly, Preston Crown Court has heard. The couple repeatedly subjected their children, aged between seven and 15, to the “bizarre and frankly barbaric chastisement” if they didn’t complete household chores.

The 50-year-old father kept the weapon down the side of the sofa. When he left the family home in Blackpool, he would hand it to his 33-year-old wife to use.

The couple, who cannot be named, admitted five counts of child cruelty. The father was jailed for two years, while the wife was given a 19-month jail sentence suspended for two years.