Richard Basson was arrested for killing his girlfriend Carrie Slater with a pistol at their home in Long Clawson, in Leicestershire.
However, he kept on his defense argument, telling police she injured herself by walking into a pool cue he was jabbing at her.
What Happened?
He was first arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm with intent but it all changed after police searched the bungalow and found a self-loading pistol and four rounds of ammunition – two live and two spent in the back garden.
The 45-year-old was nevertheless convicted of murder following a trial at Leicester Crown Court on Tuesday.
Police said Basson had shown no remorse and never explained why he killed her.
How The Trial Happened
During the trial, detectives told Jurors how they rushed down to the couple’s home, in King’s Road in the village, at about 18:45 GMT on 21 September 2023 after Basson called 999.
The emergency services attended the scene and found Ms Slater in a bedroom with a critical injury to the front of her head.
He admitted he did stab her, but for a warning: ‘I meant [to] like just warn her and like jab at her and she walked straight into it with her head down,’ he said.
Ms Slater was rushed to hospital where medics established she had been shot. She was then placed on life support but died two days later.
