South Shields man and brother found guilty of attempted murder of mum who was blasted with shotgun

Emma Robinson was preparing food at her home in Westerhope, Newcastle, on October 3 when she heard a loud bang and breaking glass then felt pain to the side of her face.

Newcastle Crown Court heard she did not realise she had been the target of an attempted murder plot and that she had shotgun pellets embedded in her body until she went to a walk-in centre the following day.

Two days later, Jordan King was shot at at his home, about a mile away in the same suburb.

Jurors have heard Thomas Lee, 21, of no fixed address and James Lee, 27, of Henry Nelson Street, South Shields, carried out the shootings because they were "cross" as a result of previous arguments with the victims or their families.

The brothers both denied two charges of attempted murder, one of wounding with intent and one of attempted wounding with intent during a trial.

James Lee also a charge of possessing firearm ammunition while prohibited.

A jury has found them both guilty of the attempted murder of Emma Robinson but not guilty of the attempted murder of Mr King, who is their cousin.

They were both found guilty of attempting to wound Mr King with intent.

James Lee was convicted of the ammunition charge.

The siblings will be sentenced next Thursday and are remanded in custody.

The court heard Ms Robinson had been in the kitchen of her one bedroom flat at around 10pm.

Prosecutor Simon Myerson QC told the court: "She was making cottage pie.

"She heard a loud noise which she said was simultaneously to a bang and the sound of breaking glass.

"She felt something hit the side of her face. There was glass everywhere.

"She turned around and she was hit in the back and she did not know what had happened."

The court heard she could see "lots of little black things" on the kitchen floor, which turned out to be pellets from a shotgun.

Jurors heard the mum went to Ponteland Walk-in Centre the next day for treatment to her injuries.

Mr Myerson said: "When she was there she was told these looked like shotgun wounds.

"At the time it simply shocked her but as the information sank in she realised how serious this was."

The court heard Ms Robinson had injuries from shotgun pellets and flying glass to her face, just above her right eye, her arm, back and behind her ear.

Mr Myerson told jurors: "The prosecution case is pretty straight forward, anyone who fires a gun through a window at a person they can see is standing there, in the way of the gunshot, intends to kill.

"Guns are not toys, guns are not particularly controllable."

Mr Myerson said the brothers "planned to commit these offences together" and added: "Each of them were part of the plan to shoot Mrs Robinson and each of them knew that part of the plan was to fire at her with a gun.

"In the circumstances, it doesn't matter who pulled the trigger, each defendant is as guilty as the other."

Mr Myerson said it appeared Ms Robinson was shot because Thomas Lee and another man had bee involved in an argument with her son.

The court heard Mr King did not make a witness statement about what happened to him but allowed the police to take photographs of his injuries.