Husband jailed after shotgun blast

A husband has been jailed for more than three years after his sawn off shot gun injured his wife during a heated row at their Black Country home.

Lee Stevens, aged 37, had "slammed" the double barrelled gun into a surface in the kitchen before it went off, injuring his wife Tara in the stomach.

And when police later searched the property in Darlaston, looking for the gun, they found just over £9,000 worth of drugs hidden under the bottom drawer of the freezer.

Stevens pleaded guilty to possession of an alerted fire arm without authority, possession of a fire arm with intent to cause violence, unlawful wounding, possession of a class A drug (MDMA) and possession of a class B drug (Amphetamine).

Mr Ekwall Towana, prosecuting, told Wolverhampton Crown Court yesterday that Stevens and his wife had been out that on an evening in May last year with another friend.

They had been drinking at a bar before Stevens returned to their Gladstone Road home with his wife and the family friend following on a short time later.

He said when the pair arrived back Stevens was angry saying he had tried to phone them both but had been unable to get through and added: "They all went into the kitchen the defendant was said to be walking around ranting and raving.

"The next thing they both knew was that the defendant slammed down an object which turned out to be a sawn off shot gun."

He said Mrs Stevens had felt a sharp pain in her stomach and was persuaded to go to hospital a few days later by a friend where she was found to have injuries consistent with pellets.

A number of letters were handed into the court in Stevens' defence.

Simon Drew, defending, told the court: "The incident was wholly out of character, he is a hard-working man with a good work record. There is no suggestion he is involved in the drugs trade. The use of the gun was recklessness on his part. Of course this is serious but he had not planned to use the weapon."

The gun has never been recovered. The court was told that it has been thrown away after the incident.

Judge Michael Dudley sentenced him to a total of three-and-a-half years and told the defendant: "It is clear that you have a good relationship with your wife and that this is a close family but the fact of the matter is you were in possession of a dangerous weapon."