Couple arrested after suspected burglars were shot at their rural home 'had been robbed three or four times'
- Police received 999 call from a man who said he had opened fire on four intruders
- Man, 35, fired shotgun at gang who broke into his isolated cottage in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire
- He and his wife, 43, called police immediately after shooting
- Couple arrested on suspicion of GBH and four men detained on suspicion of aggravated burglary
The couple arrested after two suspected burglars were shot during a midnight break-in at their remote rural home had been robbed three or four times already, it has been reported..Police descended on the farm cottage in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire after receiving a 999 call from a man who said he had opened fire on four intruders.The homeowners, who have been named as 35-year-old Andy Ferrie and his wife Tracey, 43, were understood to have called police immediately after the shooting, at 12.26am yesterday morning.Police examine a shotgun after attending reports of a shooting at a property in Melton Mowbray, LeicestershireMr Ferrie's mother Susan Spilner told the Sun newspaper: 'This is not the first time they have been broken into.'They have been robbed three or four times. One of them was quite nasty.'They have not been injured but property has been stolen.'The man who dialed 999 told officers he had fired his shotgun, which is licensed and legally held, and the intruders fled.Minutes later, ambulance paramedics were called to treat a man with shotgun injuries. The 999 call was understood to have been made by one of the suspected burglars.A second man was treated for shotgun injuries after he walked into Leicester Royal Infirmary, around ten miles from the cottage.Neither of the men’s injuries were said to be serious.The householder and his wife were arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm.He is thought to be a farm worker who kept the shotgun legally as part of his job. Four men in their 20s and 30s were also arrested on suspicion of aggravated burglary.No one has yet been charged in connection with the incident.The stone cottage, in the grounds of a farm, was cordoned off by police yesterday.Scenes of crime officers began examining the cottage, which is surrounded by fields and farmland.A man and his wife have been arrested after two suspected burglars were shot at this property in Melton Mowbray, LeicestershirePolice stand at the front door of the property as they attend the scene of the shooting at Melton MowbrayA police spokesman said yesterday: ‘Police were called at 12.26am this morning by a man reporting a group of men had broken into his home in Melton.‘The man stated that during the course of the incident he had fired a legally held shotgun and the intruders had left the scene.‘Around five minutes later the ambulance service called to tell us they had been called to a man with injuries consistent with shotgun injuries.A police community support officer stands guard at a track near the isolated cottage‘A second man presented at Leicester Royal Infirmary with similar injuries. Neither injuries are life threatening.‘Investigations have begun into both reports and six people, five men and one woman, have been arrested.‘A 35-year-old man and a 43-year-old woman were arrested in Melton on suspicion of GBH and four men aged 27, 23, 31 and 33 were arrested at Leicester Royal Infirmary on suspicion of aggravated burglary.‘Inquiries are ongoing and there is very little else we can add at this time.’Former magistrate Ted Hutchin, 63, said the suspected break-in and shooting were a shock to the quiet, rural community.He said: ‘I’m a former magistrate and Melton Mowbray has the usual crimes associated with a market town.‘But in the immediate vicinity the worst crime we can remember is lead stolen from the church roof.’Mr Hutchin said he had seen the police cordon outside the cottage on his way to church last night, adding: ‘I thought it was strange because this is such a quiet spot.’The case is likely to reignite public debate over a householder’s right to defend his home against intruders.In 1999, Norfolk farmer Tony Martin was arrested after shooting burglars during a break-in at his remote farmhouse. He did not have a firearms licence.Fred Barras, 16, was killed and his friend Brendan Fearon, 29, suffered gunshot wounds to his legs.
Fearon later admitted conspiring to burgle the farmhouse, accompanied by Barras, but Martin was tried at Norwich Crown Court and jailed for life for murder in 2000.His murder conviction was later reduced to manslaughter and he was released from jail in 2003.Police scientific support officers searched the scene for evidence as part of the investigation into the shootingTwo men were treated for shotgun injuries following an incident at this isolated cottagePolice were called to the cottage in Melton Mowbray at 12.26am on Sunday-------------------------------Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2197149/Homeowner-wife-arrested-suspected-burglars-shot-break-in.html#ixzz25Oie1fY0
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