LORNA DE-STE-CROIX

A 14-year-old boy who shot a teenage girl in the face with an air rifle has escaped punishment - because lawyers claim he is not old enough to appreciate the consequences of his actions.

The family of victim Lorna De-Ste-Croix has condemned the decision not to prosecute the youth over the unprovoked attack.

The 15-year-old was shot from a distance of around six feet by the boy - who she knew but was not friendly with - and was lucky to escape with her vision intact. (Lorna De-Ste-Croix)

Mr De-Ste-Croix, a builder, said: "The CPS is saying they don't believe a 14 year old can be held responsible for pulling a trigger.

"To me, that lets off the boy that shot Rhys Jones dead in Liverpool as well.

"This is not about compensation or anything like that - this is about the CPS taking this seriously.

"Surely he's old enough to know an air rifle can do damage? Someone's got to be held responsible for something like this."

The case comes a day after the Daily Mail told how a 16-year-old boy was dragged through the courts at a cost of £5,000 after causing criminal damage to a plastic bag which he had grabbed from a younger girl.

The youth, who cannot be named, admitted ripping the handles off the bag before handing it back to the 13-year-old and was ordered to complete six hours' community work by Swindon Youth Court in Wiltshire.

Lorna has told how she had been walking into Botley village, near West End, from a nearby park with a friend and the youth when the incident happened in June.

She said the boy was walking in front of them and nipped into his house on the way.

"We waited outside his home and a few minutes later he came out with a gun and pointed it straight at me," she said.

"He didn't say anything and I was scared and in shock.

"Before I had the chance to move or speak he pulled the trigger and fired.

"I heard a noise and the next thing I knew I was on the floor and covered in blood."

The teenager was taken to Southampton General Hospital for treatment. The pellet damaged Lorna's retina, which will now be at risk of detaching for the rest of her life. She had to wait more than three months for her retina to stabilise before the pellet could be removed.

Mrs De-Ste-Croix, a learning support assistant, said: "She was covered in blood, it looked awful.

"The doctors said that if it had hit her any lower she would have lost her eye."

The letter to the family from the CPS states: "There is insufficient evidence to proceed further with this matter as the prosecution would have to prove the youth intended to cause injury or was reckless."

It adds that while an adult ought to appreciate the danger of firing a gun, "such considerations may not be expected of a youth."

In a statement, Adrian Lower, district crown prosecutor, said a senior prosecutor with great experience in reviewing cases involving young offenders concluded that "there was insufficient evidence for there to be a realistic prospect of a conviction for an offence of causing the girl grievous bodily harm.

"The prosecutor concluded that it would not be possible to establish that in doing what was alleged, the boy concerned either intended to injure the girl or that he foresaw a risk that by his alleged actions the girl would be injured, and went on to take that risk."

"We recognise the pain and suffering caused to the victim in this case but we cannot bring prosecutions where there is no realistic prospect of conviction."

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