A firearms expert has told a court it wouldn’t have been physically possible for the victim of an alleged attempted murder by a 79-year-old Suffolk man to have shot himself.

Giving evidence to a jury at Ipswich Crown Court, forensic scientist Andre Horne said it wouldn’t have been possible for 47-year-old David Wright to hold the gun more than a metre from his shoulder and pull the trigger.

“It must have been discharged by someone else,” said Mr Horne.

Before the court is Kier Huxtable, of Stanford Road, Weeting, who has denied attempting to murder Mr Wright on October 11 last year and a less serious alternative charge of wounding him with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm.

He also denies possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life but admits possessing a prohibited firearm.

It has been alleged that Huxtable, who was described as “grumpy and volatile”, barged into Mr Wright’s home in Pond Lane, Brandon, and tried to kill him by shooting him at point blank range.

Mr Wright was sitting on a sofa in the living room of his bungalow chatting on the phone to his elderly parents when Kier Huxtable walked in and allegedly pulled the trigger saying : “You deserve this you b*****d”.

Despite bleeding profusely from wounds to his shoulder and chest Mr Wright, who lost three pints of blood, grabbed the gun and wrestled Huxtable to the floor before hitting him to stop him getting up.

The court heard that Huxtable had been in a “foul mood” on October 11 last year after officials had towed some vehicles away from outside his home.

Mr Wright had nothing to do with it but in Huxtable’s mind there was some sort of connection with what happened, said Peter Clark, prosecuting.

Mr Clark said that on the night Huxtable allegedly barged into Mr Wright”s home Mr Wright hadn’t seen him for a year.

After his arrest Huxtable told police he didn’t have the strength in his hands to to shoot anyone.

He accepted the gun was his and claimed he had gone to see Mr Wright to talk to him.

He told police that he hadn’t deliberately fired the gun and claimed it had gone off accidentally while Mr Wright was holding it.

The trial continues.