A Cambridgeshire man who accidentally shot dead his friend to test a ‘bullet-proof’ vest was today jailed at Southwark Crown Court.
Lorry driver Ian Catley, 40, of Melbourn, killed Philip Harper on June 29 last year after going to the pub and asking friends if they wanted to try out a jacket he’d bought and be shot at.
After a few drinks at the pub 47-year-old Mr Harper agreed to wear it in a nearby field and see what happened.
Southwark Crown Court heard how the jacket wasn’t bulletproof but simply a ‘protective’ jacket.
The shotgun bullet, fired at close range, hit Mr Harper in the chest.
Despite being treated by paramedics for life-threatening injuries he died a short while later.
Judge Jeffrey Pegden QC told Catley that his remorse was genuine and that the repercussions would stay with him for the rest of his life.
Catley was jailed for seven years after admitting manslaughter.
