Ex-soldier pointed shotgun at teen's head during campsite row in Lancashire, court hears
A 62-year-old ex-military man who rammed a double-barrelled shotgun into the face of a terrified teenager during a campsite altercation has been jailed by a judge in Preston.
Nikita McKeever pleaded guilty to assaulting a 17-year-old boy causing actual bodily harm and was sentenced to eight months in prison.
The city’s Crown Court was told McKeever had been staying with two friends for the weekend at Leisure Lakes Caravan Park in Mere Brow, near Tarleton, when the incident occurred in October 2023.
After an evening of drinking, his two friends left their caravan to go to a toilet block some distance away.
A few minutes later, McKeever heard shouting and swearing, so he put his shoes on and went out to investigate the disturbance.
A row ensued and McKeever was said to be “angry”. When the campsite manager arrived, he told him to calm down.
The argument continued before McKeever returned to the caravan and came back carrying a shotgun.
He walked up to the teenager, waving the gun in his direction, and then pointed it at his head. He then thrust it into the youngster’s face, causing a cut to his cheek and bleeding.
The court heard the 17-year-old reeled back, initially thinking he had been shot, before running off towards the toilet block.
He was said to be “extremely scared” and believed McKeever was going to fire the gun at him as he fled.
As the shouting and confusion continued, police were called. One witness saw McKeever put the gun in the boot of his car and told officers, who later retrieved it.
The firearm was examined by police and found to be a double-barrelled shotgun in working order, but it was not loaded.
When arrested, McKeever provided police with a prepared statement in which he said he had been awoken by a noise.
Having been burgled in the past, he said he wanted to move the shotgun from the caravan into the boot of his car for safety and had not intended anyone to be hurt.
In a victim impact statement, the teenager told the court the incident had left him traumatised.
He said he was “extremely shocked and scared” after being attacked for no reason, having only walked out to ask what was going on.
He suffered a cut to his cheek that left a small scar. He had also seen a dentist for pain in his jaw, although no treatment was required.
Defence barrister Jack Troup said his client had now surrendered the shotgun to police.
He agreed with Judge Richard Archer that a shotgun was a “highly dangerous weapon”, but said it had not been loaded and, in this case, had been used as a “blunt force weapon”.
He added that the facial scar suffered by the boy was “minor”.
Mr Troup said the gun had been handed in and the incident was unlikely to be repeated.
He asked the judge to impose a suspended sentence because McKeever was caring for his partner and his 82-year-old mother.
Judge Archer said: “What you did was point a working, unloaded shotgun into the face of a 17-year-old boy and cause him a physical injury.
“What you did was a gross overreaction. There can be no justification for using a firearm in the circumstances you did to intimidate and injure a person under the age of 18.”
The judge said the youngster had been left traumatised and that the incident had had a substantial impact on him, including flashbacks to what happened that night.
He noted McKeever had no previous convictions and a good background, including service in the military.
He said he accepted there was a “realistic prospect” of rehabilitation and that McKeever was not considered to pose a high risk of reoffending.
But he added: “You placed the barrel of a shotgun in the face of a 17-year-old, threatened him and caused a facial injury.”
The judge said the only appropriate punishment was an immediate custodial sentence.