Toddler shooting: woman found not guilty of causing grievous bodily harm

Emma Horseman has been found not guilty of unlawfully and maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm on the basis that she aided or abetted an offence.

The mother of two has been acquitted of encouraging her boyfriend to shoot a crying toddler in the head with an air rifle.

Harry Studley was just 18 months old when Jordan Walters pointed the weapon at him and pulled the trigger in July last year.

Horseman was accused of telling Walters: "Shoot Harry, just to frighten him,to shut him up, shoot it at Harry."

It took a jury at Bristol Crown Court just 40 minutes to clear her of the charge.

Bristol Crown Court heard that Harry, along with his mother and brother, were visiting Horseman's home in Hartcliffe, when he was shot.

Jordan Walters has already pleaded guilty to unlawfully and maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm on the toddler and is due to be sentenced.

Judge Julian Lambert told Horseman: "You have been acquitted on theverdict of a jury of your peers."

During the two-day trial Horseman told the court that Harry was injured while she talked with her friend Miss Allen.

She said, "I couldn't see what Jordan was doing. All I know was that he was cleaning the gun.

"I know he had the gun out but I couldn't see him," she said.

Miss Horseman denied telling Walters to shoot Harry.

At the time of the event, Harry was taken to Bristol Children's Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery.

He suffered a displaced skull fracture and swelling and bleeding on the brain. The pellet has still not been found.

Now two years old, Harry's speech is now developing normally but he suffers from several seizures a day and has been blinded in one eye.