A 79-year-old man who barged into a former friend’s home and shot him at point blank range has been found guilty of trying to kill him.

A jury at Ipswich Crown took less than an hour to find Kier Huxtable guilty after a four-day trial.

Huxtable, of Stanford Road, Weeting, had denied attempting to murder 47-year-old David Wright at his bungalow home in Pond Lane, Brandon, on October 11 last year but admitted possessing a prohibited firearm.

Judge Emma Peters adjourned sentence until January 15 to allow a psychiatric report to be prepared on Huxtable and remanded him in custody.

During the trial the court heard that Huxtable, who was described as “grumpy and volatile” barged into Mr Wright’s home. Mr Wright was sitting on a sofa in the living room on the phone to his elderly parents when Huxtable entered and pulled the trigger saying : “You deserve this you b*****d”.

Despite bleeding profusely from wounds to his shoulder and chest Mr Wright, who lost three pints of blood, grabbed the gun and wrestled Huxtable to the floor before hitting him to stop him getting up.

The court heard Huxtable had been in a “foul mood” on October 11 last year after officials had towed some vehicles away from outside his home.

Mr Wright had nothing to do with it but in Huxtable’s mind there was some sort of connection with what happened, said Peter Clark, prosecuting.

Mr Clark said that on the night Huxtable allegedly barged into Mr Wright”s home Mr Wright hadn’t seen him for a year.

After his arrest Huxtable told police he didn’t have the strength in his hands to to shoot anyone.

He accepted the gun was his and claimed he had gone to see Mr Wright to talk to him.

He told police that he hadn’t deliberately fired the gun and claimed it had gone off accidentally while Mr Wright was holding it.

Mr Clark said: “The prosecution say that carrying that loaded firearm to Mr Wright’s home and angrily barging in and firing it at Mr Wright’s upper body is clear proof that he intended to hurt Mr Wright and he intended to kill him.”

He said Huxtable’s claim that Mr Wright had caused the gun to go off was “complete nonsense”.

Huxtable chose not to give evidence during the trial.