‘You shot me, granddad!’ Six-year-old boy’s harrowing yell as he was accidentally shot dead by his great-grandfather

Jenny Dees’s football-loving son Stanley Metcalf suffered a hole in the side of his abdomen when he was shot with an air rifle in the East Yorkshire village of Sproatley on July 26, 2018

A great-grandfather was today jailed for three years after accidentally shooting dead his six-year-old great-grandson with an air rifle from just a few feet away.

Albert Grannon, 78, first told police the pellet must have ricocheted as he checked the weapon at his home in the East Yorkshire village of Sproatley on July 26 last year.

But expert analysis showed the shot went directly into the abdomen of his football-mad great-grandson Stanley Metcalf, who shouted: ‘You shot me, granddad.’

The boy’s devastated mother Jenny Dees said she has not received an apology from Grannon nearly one year on, as he was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court today.

Stanley’s father Andrew said he had lost his ‘best friend and shadow’ and asked Grannon: ‘Why didn’t you check that gun, why did you point it at Stanley? Why did you take my little boy away?’

Stanley’s parents Jenny and Andy at Sheffield Crown Court today (left). They say the boy’s great-grandfather Albert Grannon has not apologised

Grannon, who bought the air rifle for £90, was jailed for three years for manslaughter and four months for possessing a firearm without a licence, to run concurrently.

The judge, Mr Justice Lavender, told Grannon: ‘You ended a young life and you brought lifelong grief and misery to his parents and to the whole of his family.’

He told Grannon, who showed no emotion as he stood to be sentenced: ‘What you did was obviously a very dangerous thing to do. Why on Earth did you do it?’

Albert Grannon

John Elvidge QC, prosecuting, told the court how the tragedy happened at a family gathering at the defendant’s home which was held every year to mark the death of one of his sons, 16 years ago.

Mr Elvidge said that Stanley asked to see the .22 calibre weapon and went inside with his great-grandfather.

Family members outside the house then heard a loud bang, the prosecutor said.

Mr Elvidge said that the youngster said ‘you shot me, granddad’ after the gun went off.

The prosecutor said that the defendant had a habit of keeping the adapted air rifle loaded in a cupboard to shoot vermin.

The weapon needed a firearms certificate but he did not apply because he thought he would not get one due to disabilities.

Stanley’s mother, Jenny Dees, said of the defendant, who is her grandfather: ‘Not once did he say sorry. Now, if he did, it would be meaningless, too little, too late.’

Ms Dees read an emotional statement to court after placing a photo of Stanley in front of her in the witness box.

She said that, immediately after the incident, she felt sorry for her grandfather but she told the judge: ‘I don’t feel sorry for him now.’

Paul Genney, defending, told the court that, despite the views of Stanley parents, Grannon ‘blames himself totally’.

Mr Justice Lavender asked Mr Genney if he would make one last effort to get Grannon to explain exactly what happened during the fatal incident and adjourned the case for a short time.

Mr Genney returned to court and described how his client accepted that he pointed the gun at Stanley as he squeezed the trigger to check the gun was not loaded ‘but not, of course, deliberately’.

The court heard how Stanley’s extended family had been split by the incident and some relatives sat in the court while others were in the overhanging public gallery.

Many were in tears as the sentence was passed. As he was taken down, one woman shouted from the balcony: ‘Love you Dad.’

Humberside Police previously said Grannon, who is on bail, had shown no remorse until he pleaded guilty at a court hearing last month.

Miss Dees had earlier called for Mr Justice Lavender to send her grandfather to prison.

She said: ‘For me, I don’t believe he should be coming home. I do believe he does need to go to prison and take responsibility for the death of my son. He caused the death of my son.’

Miss Dees said that in the 11 months since Stanley’s death, Grannon has not shown any remorse or apologised.

She said: ‘I have had no remorse shown to me. I have had no apology and that is unbearable and unbelievable to see.

‘I loved and respected my granddad so much and the day Stanley died I thought he would come to me and say he was sorry, why wouldn’t he? But he didn’t.

‘People say he is in shock and that he will say sorry afterwards. We are nearly up to a year now and he hasn’t.

‘I do believe that if you cause the death of somebody, regardless of whether you meant to or not, there should be a punishment in place and that is going to prison.’


The Author

Chinenye Nwabueze



Add a Comment
  1. This is really sad and painful. I really feel for the mom.

  2. No matter the shock the dad should have said sorry.keeping mute has a whole lot of meaning

  3. Okeke Chioma Onyinye

    so sad and painful

  4. It’s quite unfortunate. I don’t know why people should b handling guns around children.

  5. Chai! But it wasn’t intentionally na

  6. Ezenwajiugo Somto

    It’s a painful one

  7. Umeh Somkenechukwu

    It’s their family issue,they will know the best way to sort it out

  8. Onuorah Adaeze Chidimma

    Omg this is so sad, R. I. P YOUNG MAN….

  9. This is heartbreaking….. So Careless

  10. Anagboso Chidimma Joy

    So sad oo…

  11. Okeke Ezinne Chinasa

    What a sad story. Its so painful to loose a child

  12. What kind of accident is that…poor kid..RIP to him

  13. Ndubuisi Chidinmma

    What carelessness can cause,yes is you grant grand child but u get d pushiment that follows

  14. Chidozie chiazokam jennifer

    So sad

  15. Omenuko Adaobi Promise

    This is painful

  16. The old dude just sentenced himself to death. Like when I hear great-grand dad I hear die in jail cos u can’t make it out man!… I feel pained cos I imagine how the little boy passed on while saying those words “You shot me granddad”

  17. Juliet ugochukwu


  18. Egbuwalo Teniola Glory

    May his soul rest in peace

  19. Gosh! This is really sad. May his gentle sould rest in peace

  20. Ebulue Ruth Oluchi

    so sad

  21. This is so sad…such a painful death

  22. Ezekiel Miracle Oluebube

    So bad and painful

  23. So sad what a painful story

  24. Nawoo this is more than sad oo

  25. Igboanugo ifeoma vanessa

    Heart break

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