16-year-old boy who blasted pal with shotgun is unmasked as he's jailed for 24 years

A teenager who shot a 15-year-old boy in the face with a double-barrelled shotgun as he walked to school has been sentenced to 24 years in custody for his attempted murder.

Jacob Talbot-Lummis , who was just 15 at the time, drove in his dad’s car before laying in wait in hedges for an hour before he pounced.

The victim, who had known his attacker since primary school, was blasted from less than 1.5 metres away, a trial at Ipswich Crown Court previously heard.

Today the judge took the unusual step of lifting a court order banning the teenager from being identified.

The victim had been walking to school in Kesgrave, near Ipswich, on September 7 last year - the first day back since the national coronavirus lockdown.

He calmly stood looking over the petrified youngster who suffered horrific life changing injuries to his face and will now be disabled for life.

Police officers conduct a search on Friends Walk ( Image: PA)

The would-be-killer, whose name can be reported after reporting restrictions were lifted today, later claimed that he was only trying to scare his one-time friend, also 15, who he claimed had bullied him throughout his school life.

Today Judge Martyn Levett said he had the "protection of the public in mind" as he imposed the extended sentence, comprising 24 years in custody and five years on licence.

Addressing the defendant, he said: "That sentence will affect you until you're 45 years old."

In a police video interview played to jurors, a friend said that the defendant had spoken of a plan to shoot the boy - but the friend added he did not think he was being serious.

He said the teenager "adored" a computer game in which players shoot people, which is "hyper-realistic in its violence".

The defendant took his father's car and drove to the location where he waited for the boy for more than an hour before he shot him with his grandfather's Beretta, prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones QC said.

Air ambulance doctor Chloe Baker said the victim's gunshot wound "extended across his lower right face and the right front area of his neck, and the bone and teeth of his right jaw were largely absent."

Ms Karmy-Jones described the boy's injuries as "devastating and life-changing", adding that he was left "partially paralysed".

The defendant was also found guilty of possessing a shotgun with intent to endanger the boy's life.

The shotgun used in the attack ( Image: PA)

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