Kent huntsman Brian Fraser trial: Woman 'terrified by shooting'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-21274716

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A woman was "absolutely terrified" after being shot by a gunman who was hiding in the bushes outside her home, a court has heard.

Louise Leggatt suffered leg injuries when she was shot as she tended her horses in Benenden on 15 March.

She also had shotgun pellets in her bowel and pelvis, Maidstone Crown Court has heard.

Brian Fraser, 63, has denied attempted murder but admitted possessing a firearm without a licence.

The court was told Mr Fraser, of Criol Lane, Shadoxhurst, was a former boyfriend who Ms Leggatt had met through the Ashford Valley Hunt.

The shooting happened two months after arsonists attacked Ms Leggatt's home, forcing her to rent a property next door to where the shooting happened.

'Horrendous pain'

Ms Leggatt told the court that she checked on her horses between 21:00 GMT and 22:00 every night.

She said: "I initially unlocked the door to let my dog out, then closed the door, went back into the house and put my wellies and coat on.

"My dog was in the corner of the garden, very upset, very angry and barking.

"He was very angry, as if there was something there that he didn't like. I had a torch in my hand and I shone the torch to where he was in the corner.

"I didn't get very far on to the patio and, as I shone the torch across the garden and shut the patio door at the same time, I was shot."

She said she could not see anyone in the garden.

She added: "First of all, I heard the sound and then I had a horrendous pain in my leg and hip, and I realised what had happened.

"I was absolutely terrified. I had never been so terrified in all my life."

Ms Leggatt told the jury the wounds had healed but she had a large scar on her stomach where she was operated on and scarring on her leg.

Some shotgun pellets still her leg cause her "shooting pain", and she has loss of feeling below her knee.

She said she met Mr Fraser in the early 2000s and moved in with him after her divorce from husband Philip Gorringe in 2007.

The relationship deteriorated and he moved out in November 2011. She said he later tried to win her back with phone calls and text messages, but she resisted.

On Valentine's Day, he bought her a large bunch of flowers, something she described as "very unusual".

She said: "Things like Valentine's Day, birthdays and Christmases didn't mean a huge amount to him."

He tried to maintain contact with her, Ms Leggatt said.

"He knew where I was and what I was doing a bit too much."

The trial continues.