An Isle of Wight man who shot another man five times with a BB gun, leaving a pellet lodged in his eye, has been jailed.

Ronnie Morris, of Joseph's Way, Shanklin, appeared at the Isle of Wight Crown Court on May 10.

He previously pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding on January 11, 2024.

Court heard how Morris visited a flat in Ryde on September 26, 2023.

Prosecuting, Nick Mather, said the then 29-year-old, who is now 30, picked up a pellet gun and shot it five times towards another man.

One pellet got lodged in his eye and he was also hit in the head.

Morris left the address and was later arrested by police, Mr Mather said.

The injured man was taken to hospital and details of a medical report, read to the court, revealed the pellet narrowly missed his pupil and did not cause him to lose his vision.

Arguing for a more lenient sentence, Berenice Mulvanny, defending, said the offence was "unpleasant" but medical evidence shows there was no permanent damage to the victim's eye.

She said although dangerous, a BB gun is not the most dangerous firearm type.

She said Morris, who has been in custody since September last year, is "absolutely gutted" about what happened.

If he were to be released, the father-of-two would have a home and job waiting for him and is desperate to support his family, she said.

Recorder Malcolm Gibney said Morris may be "gutted", but not as much as the man he shot would have been.

He said: "You shot him in his head, face, hand and his eye. I'm told there was no loss of vision. That is more luck than judgement."

He said Morris should count himself fortunate that the victim has withdrawn his support for conviction, or else he would be going away for many years.

He sentenced Morris to 24 months in prison and ordered him to pay a victim surcharge.