A builder shot his next-door neighbours because he believed their dog had ruined his life.
Kevin Barrett, 57, blasted David and Sue Venn with a shotgun over rottweiler-mastiff cross Milly, which he claimed had left his wife Janice ill with fear.
The Venns regarded their pet as friendly and harmless, but Barrett loathed it so much that he eventually re-mortgaged his home so he and his wife could travel overseas for ten months to get away from it.
On his return he lay in wait for the Venns to return from a shopping trip and smashed their car windscreen with a spade in their shared driveway in Nordelph, Norfolk.
He then shot retired fireman Mr Venn, 63, at point blank range with his unlicensed .410 shotgun on June 23 last year.
Father-of-two Mr Venn escaped death by raising his right hand to shield his head, but lost his little finger in the blast.
Norwich Crown Court heard how Barrett then calmly reloaded and shot retired nanny Mrs Venn, 61, wounding her in the arm and back as she ran for help.
Mr Venn then grabbed the gun while Barrett battered him with a spade, causing deep cuts to his left hand. Barrett later sat calmly on a fence, sipping a glass of red wine, as he waited for police to arrive and arrest him.
He was found guilty on Thursday of two charges of attempted murder and one of possessing a shotgun with intent to endanger life, and jailed for 18 years. Judge Peter Jacobs described the case as a “sad mixture of personal tragedy” for everyone involved.
He told Barrett: “The lives of your wife and yourself are now in complete ruins. It is highly unlikely that the Venns’ lives will be the same either.
“Notwithstanding your convictions for these grave offences there are absolutely no winners in this case. Everybody is a loser.”
The court heard how the Venns, who have been married for 41 years, had bought a four-bedroom house built by Barrett next door to his home in 2005.
The two couples were at first good friends, but fell out after the Venns bought Milly in October 2008 as a companion for their retriever George.
Barrett, who owned a Yorkshire terrier, told the couple they should not get a “killer dog”. His behaviour escalated, from smashing up a riverside jetty which the couples jointly owned to throwing what he said was a poisoned sausage over the fence for the dog.
Barrett said he had originally intended to shoot the two dogs to “break the hearts” of the Venns, but then “saw red”. He claimed he had not intended to kill Mr Venn and only fired at Mrs Venn to frighten her.
Mr Venn said after the hearing: “I am convinced that he was determined to kill me. I could see every sparkle in his eyes. I will never forget that look.” - Daily Mail