Kevin Barrett of High Street, Nordelph was found guilty after a one week trial.

A Norfolk man who shot his neighbours in a row over their dog has been sentenced to 18 years in prison today.

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A jury at Norwich Crown Court yesterday took nine hours to convict builder Kevin Barrett, 57, on two counts of attempted murder and one of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.

Barrett was sentenced this afternoon by judge Peter Jacobs to 18 years in jail. The judge said it was “sad mixture of personal tragedy” for everyone involved.

“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.”

Retired fireman David Venn, 63, and his wife Susan, 61, were shot outside their home in High Street, Nordelph, near Downham Market, in June last year.

Speaking after the verdict, Mr Venn said: “When he fired that gun in my face, I thought I’d had it. I managed to deflect the bullet with my hand and when I looked up he was reloading. I saw blood appear on my wife’s back and I thought I’d lost her for good.

“We’ve been to hell and back and having to relive our ordeal in court has been very hard. But we feel we’ve been given a second chance at life and we’re not going to waste it.”

Barrett and his wife Janise had lived next door to Mr and Mrs Venn since 2005 and the couples quickly became close friends.

See Saturday’s EDP or check back on this website later for more details.