Leicestershire man who shot partner found guilty of murder

A man who shot his partner in the forehead with a handgun and then rang 999 claiming she had hurt herself by running into a pool cue has been convicted of her murder.

Richard Basson, 45, used one of three firearms he held illegally to shoot Carrie Slater, causing her an unsurvivable brain injury.

A trial at Leicester Crown Court was told Basson dialled 999 from the couple's home in the village of Long Clawson, near Melton Mowbray, shortly before 6.45pm on September 21 last year, as his partner sat injured nearby.

During the half-hour call, part of which was played to jurors, Basson claimed to have had an argument "over half a cigarette" and to have jabbed at Ms Slater with a pool cue after she came at him with a carving knife.

He told the operators he believed a metal band from the cue was stuck under his partner's scalp, and when emergency services attended, they found Ms Slater, 37, in a bedroom with a significant injury to the front of her head.

Leicestershire Police said when she was receiving treatment, Basson stayed outside the bungalow, behaving in an "erratic" manner and refusing to co-operate with officers.

He did, however, admit he was responsible for causing her injuries and was subsequently arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

On arrival at hospital, scans on Ms Slater revealed her injury was in fact a gunshot wound and the bullet which killed her was later recovered by a Home Office pathologist.

Ms Slater was placed on life support but two days later, on September 23, it was withdrawn and she was pronounced dead by doctors, with Basson being further arrested on suspicion of his partner's murder.

The gun alleged to have been used to kill Ms Slater - a self-loading pistol - was found in the garden of the property, near two empty cartridges.

A bullet head was also discovered in a bedroom, bearing traces of plaster and paint indistinguishable from the material around a bullet hole in the hallway.

The trial heard Basson had 68 rounds of live ammunition at the property.

Basson and Ms Slater had an on-off relationship for a number of years and he had previously been violent towards her, the court heard.

Despite his denials, a jury found Basson guilty of murder at Leicester Crown Court on Tuesday and he will be sentenced on Wednesday.

Detective Inspector Emma Matts, from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit major crime team, said: "My thoughts and condolences go out to Carrie's family and loved ones, who I know are still struggling to come to terms with their loss and understand why Carrie was killed.

"Hopefully today's outcome provides a degree of closure to those who were closest to her.

"Only Basson knows why he killed a woman he claimed to love. He's never explained his actions. He's never shown any remorse for killing another person."