Man who shot toddler Harry Studley in head with airgun to shut him up is caged for two years
A MAN who shot a baby in the head with an air rifle leaving him permanently brain damaged was today jailed for two years.
Reckless Jordan Walters, 25, fired the gun at Harry Studley at the flat he shared with girlfriend Emma Horseman, 24.
The .22 pellet fractured the 18-month-old's skull and lodged in his brain, leaving him fighting for his life.
He was airlifted to hospital for emergency surgery after the shooting last July and still suffers several seizures a day.
Harry is still partially blind and has a "dramatically" different personality.
Dad-of-two Walters admitted GBH and was today jailed by for two years at Bristol Crown Court.
Horseman was previously cleared of aiding and abetting him following a trial which heard she told him: "Shoot Harry just to frighten him, shut him up, shoot it at Harry."
Jailing him, Judge Julian Lambert said: "You bear a very heavy burden of responsibility for a crime that left a little boy fighting for his life and which leaves him with serious permanent disability.
"Only the resolution of Harry in his fight for life and the brilliance of the surgical team saved him.
"But for your grossly irresponsible behaviour Harry Studley would today be a bouncing little boy with unlimited expectations ahead of him in his life."
He continued: "The risk involved in pointing any rifle into a room where people are present in gross and obvious.
"If I were to ask anyone present in court why we don't point rifles in the direction of others the answer would come straight back - 'in case it's loaded'''.
The judge added that Walters did not intend to cause Harry harm, but "took a risk with grossly irresponsible actions".
In an emotional victim impact statement read to the court, Harry's mother Amy Allen, 21, said: "The moment I heard the gun go off and I realised Harry was bleeding my whole world collapsed.
"Instantly I was heartbroken. I thought he was going to die."
She added it was her "worst nightmare" and said she feels "hatred" against her son's attacker.
In a statement Harry's parents Ed Studley and Amy Allen said "Today we would like to say that justice has been seen to be done and Jordan Walters who caused Harry harm and such serious injuries has been dealt with by the court.
"Harry's struggles continue and will do for the rest of his life and that cannot be changed.
''Fortunately we still have Harry in our lives. We are looking forwards now and not backwards.
"We would like to sincerely thank all of the staff at Bristol Children's Hospital who did such a wonderful job in saving Harry's life against all the odds.
"We would like to thank the press and the media for their interest in our son and all of the well-wishers who have contacted us.
"As a family we would like to see changes made to the law so that people who possess high powered air rifles are made to be more responsible for their actions while at home or elsewhere."
The drama unfolded at Walters' flat in Hartcliffe, Bristol when Walters was cleaning an air rifle he kept in the kitchen cupboard and used for shooting rats.
Harry and his brother Riley, then two, were visiting with their mother, Miss Allen, who had gone over to discuss a lending club.
He admitted accidentally discharging it, but the boy's mother said he "aimed the gun" at him and fired it, leaving blood "gushing" down his head.
The bullet hit the right side of the head in the temporal region between his forehead and his ear, the court heard.
The tot was rushed to Bristol Children's Hospital by air ambulance where his family were told to say their goodbyes.
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He suffers mood swings, forgetfulness and has several seizures a day, and the pellet will have to stay in his head for the rest of his life.
Defending, Pushpanjali Gohil said her client was "not a menace to society" and showed "genuine remorse" for what was an "accident" - a "reckless", "stupid" act.
Ms Gohil said: "This is tragic in the truest sense of the word. These were friends. They were getting on. He did something so stupid. He cannot forgive himself for that."
She added that the incident would "haunt" Walters for the rest of his life and added: "I cannot apologise enough on his behalf to the family about what has happened."
Walters, dressed in a suit, wept in the dock as he was sentenced.
The tot's mum Amy Allen said she feared her son Harry Studley had died after she heard the gunshot ring out during a visit to a neighbour’s home in Bristol.
The youngster needed emergency surgery after the horror shooting, and has to wear a special helmet to protect his head.
Medics do not yet know whether he will make a full recovery.
, mum Amy Allen said: “It was the most frightening thing I’ve ever had to go through.
“It’s not something I’d wish on anyone. Seeing him lose consciousness, losing breath, was heart-breaking.
“I was screaming at the ambulance people saying just, ‘save my baby, save my baby’.
“That’s all I can think of still, to this day.”
The extent of Harry Studley's horror injuries was revealed in shocking images.
The tot must live with a large lump on the side of his head and daily seizures after Jordan Walters fired his weapon at the 18-month-old.
Walters' girlfriend Emma Horseman was found not guilty of aiding and abetting GBH by a jury in just 40 minutes last month.
She had been accused of telling her partner who was cleaning his rifle at the time to "shoot Harry just to frighten him".
She was also accused of adding: "Shut him up, shoot it at Harry."
But a jury at Bristol Crown Court took just 40 minutes to clear the mum of the single charge on January 31.
She showed no emotion when the verdict was read out following a two-day trial.
The court heard that it was only because of emergency surgery that his life was saved, however "it's not possible to say if he will make a full recovery".
The toddler was taken to Bristol Royal Infirmary by air ambulance and underwent emergency surgery.
Doctors discovered he had suffered a displaced skull fracture and swelling and bleeding on the brain after being shot in the right temple.
The pellet has not been found.
Harry's speech is now developing normally but he suffers from several post-traumatic seizures a day and is being treated with anticonvulsant drugs.
Horseman did not comment as she was driven away from court by members of her family.
After the case Det Insp Simon Brickwood said: "As a result of the shooting, Harry suffered horrendous injuries to his head which will affect him for the rest of his life.
"He's very lucky to be alive and the reason he was able to pull through is down to the expert medical attention he received.
"Jordan Walters' actions on that day were reckless to the extreme and he'll have to find a way to live with what he's done for the rest of his life.
"How anyone could point an air weapon at a child, whether it was loaded or not, beggars belief.
"The shooting had a profound effect on the local community and the city of Bristol as a whole.
"I'd like to thank Harry's family for their whole-hearted support of our investigation despite having to deal with their own personal tragedy, as well as all those who provided information to our inquiry team.
"I hope this successful conviction will help Harry's parents move forward with their lives and we wish Harry all the best for his recovery in the future."
Speaking last year, Miss Allen said: "It's been a hard and emotional time for the family and everyone that's been supporting us.
"It's been difficult for them to see Harry the way he was and it's still hard for them now to look at him in hospital and see him in general.
"It's been an emotional ride for us all."
Mr Studley said: "It's going to be a long road to recovery but he's getting there, back to the little boy he was before.
"Thing are going well, he is recovering really well at the moment but things could still go wrong in the future.
"Harry's the boss, it's up to him what he does and how quickly he recovers from all this.
"Only time will tell. We're there with him every day."
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