A woman was shot in the head at point blank range with an air rifle by a neighbour’s friend after a row over killing gulls.
Mary Johnson, aged 47, of 20 Parkland Place, Balintore in Easter Ross may have to live with the pellet lodged in her skull above her eye as doctors fear it would be dangerous to try and remove it.
As a result of the shooting by 25-year-old Samantha Brown, Ms Johnson was left with impaired hearing, loss of sensation on the right side of her skull and sinus problems.
An expert said she could have died if the pellet had been a few centimeters lower and entered her eye and the brain.
Brown, of 122 Mansefield Estate, Tain appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court yesterday and pleaded guilty to discharging the .22 weapon on July 5 at Ms Johnson, injuring her head to her permanent impairment, permanent disfigurement and danger of life.
Sentence was deferred for a background report until September 1 and Brown was remanded in custody.
She was led away in some distress and disorientation by security guards who handcuffed her before escorting her to the cells. While in the dock, Brown appeared to take a couple of tablets and a police constable had to sit beside her for a brief period.
Defence lawyer Alison Foggo said: “She has been under considerable stress as a result of this case and it has had an adverse effect on her mental health.”
At the time, Ms Johnson, who was not in court, told of the attack by Brown.
She had been playing games on her tablet in the early hours of the Saturday morning when she heard her dog barking.
She got up to see what was going on and went to the front door.
Mary said: “I could hear the ‘ping ping’ and saw someone shooting the birds in the square. It was one of my neighbours, Sam Brown, with a gun and she was shooting the gulls. I challenged her about it and told her I was going to phone the police.
“She turned round, pointed the rifle at me and said she would shoot me instead. I asked her to put the gun down and the next thing was she shot me. Then she said she was going to shoot me again.
“I was only five feet away from her but I didn’t realise she had hit me until I put my hands up to my head and saw the blood. It was running down my face. I was like someone had set my head on fire.
“The hole in my head was just an inch above my right eye.”
The police were called and Mary was rushed to hospital where she spent 14 hours being treated by doctors.
She went on: “The doctors said it was a miracle that the pellet didn’t enter my brain through my skull or my eye.
“I remember my head jolted back with the impact and the doctors think that was what saved my life or prevented more serious damage. It is still lodged in my skull and it could be there for life. Surgeons fear they would have to fracture my skull to get it out and that would be dangerous.
“I got a terrible fright and I hope that air rifles and guns are banned. They are lethal weapons and shouldn’t be allowed.”
Fiscal depute Roderick Urquhart told Sheriff David Sutherland: “Although the rifle was damaged when recovered, a ballistics expert who had a similar air rifle said it was potentially lethal, especially from close range.”
Mr Urquhart said Brown was 11 feet away from Ms Johnson when she fired.
There was an exchange of words between them beforehand – where both reportedly swore at each other.
“Brown then pulled the trigger on the weapon and said repeatedly, “I’ve just shot Mary.” Continued Mr Urquhart.
“She also said to one of the others present, “I didn’t even aim; I just held it up like this and shot her.”