A 72-YEAR-OLD man who shot and killed a burglar threatening him and his frail sister must spend five months in jail.

Reuben Gregory fired his illegally held shotgun killing Wayne Digby, after being woken by his 60-year-old sister Kathleen’s screams as the bottom half of their caravan door was ripped out of its mounting and a metal object or knife was thrust through.

He was sentenced at Reading Crown Court on Monday for keeping the 12 gauge sable double-barrelled top brake box lock shotgun without a license.

He fired it, killing Wayne Digby and injuring Tony Hearn as they tried to force their way into his isolated caravan on a field 250 metres from the Colnbrook bypass at 3.20am on June 12.

He told the police later he kept the shotgun for self protection after previous incidents, despite being refused a license in the 1980s because his caravan was so insecure.

Mr Gregory’s caravan had no electricity, water or phone. He had to use a neighbour’s phone to call the police and tell them he had shot Mr Digby.

Mr Gregory escaped a murder charge after crown prosecutors accepted he had acted out of self defence. Police found a rucksack containing cable ties, bolt cutters and a meat tenderising hammer next to Mr Digby’s body. A machete, tennis ball filled with an accelerant and bleach was nearby.

Nick Cotter, defending Mr Gregory, said: “He has kept himself to himself over the years. He is a quiet man who gets on with his life in a quiet way. There was nothing of any value in his caravan. He did not know what he was facing that night but he reacted in a very human way. He is sorry anyone got hurt in this incident.”

Judge Paul Dugdale told Mr Gregory: “I have given your case a very great deal of thought over the last two weeks. It is a difficult matter and the whole case is very sad.”

Last month the judge sentenced injured caravan raider Tony Hearn – also shot by Mr Gregory – to 10 years in prison, for aggravated burglary.

But he told Mr Gregory thatthe low level of gun crime relied on tough rules stopped people keeping guns in unsafe situations, imposing a 10 month prison sentence on him for having the unlicensed shotgun – half to be spent in custody and half on licence.

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