They also reduced his 10-year sentence for wounding with intent to three.”In view of the time Mr Martin has already spent in custody, within about a year Mr Martin will be eligible for consideration for parole,” Lord Woolf said.The judges accepted fresh psychiatric evidence that Martin had had a paranoid personality disorder. But Lord Woolf said: “We must make it clear that an extremely dangerous weapon cannot be used in the manner in which it was used by Mr Martin that night … the jury were surely correct in coming to their judgment that he was not acting reasonably.”The dead boy’s uncle, Tony Joynes, 39, said yesterday that the teenager’s family would be “traumatised” and “devastated” by the court’s decision.Detective Inspector Matt Sharman, one of the senior investigating officers, said: “The investigation was carried out thoroughly and professionally and the judgment of the court today endorsed this fact.”The judges rejected arguments that the new evidence supported Martin’s case that he acted in self-defence. A concurrent 12-month sentence imposed on Martin after he admitted possessing a firearm without a licence remains.. A man aged 39 became the first known person in the world to die of a paintball injury, an inquest was told yesterday.

A man aged 39 became the first known person in the world to die of a paintball injury, an inquest was told yesterday.
Kenneth Costin, a father of two, of Bedfordshire, died of a stroke on 31 January, 10 days after he was hit in the back of the neck while taking part in a tournament with friends. Bedford Coroner’s Court heard that Mr Costin’s neck had been unprotected by the headgear he was wearing.The tournament’s organiser, Steve Bull, told the court that to his knowledge it was the first known death in the world caused by paintball.Mr Costin’s wife, Christina, said that on his return from the competition he told her he had had a “funny turn” and had been talking gibberish.Two days later, after complaining to his doctor that he had been feeling dizzy and numb, he collapsed at his home in Sandy, Bedfordshire, and was taken to Bedford Hospital.Mark Berry, a colleague from Mr Costin’s team – one of 28 playing that day – said: “A player from the opposing team approached Ken from the other side and shot him in the back of the head from about eight to 10 feet. Later, he slurred his words and said he could not feel his fingers I took him to the car. I thought he had hypothermia.”The consultant neuropathologist, Dr John Xeureb, told the court that Mr Costin had had a stroke. He said trauma to the head and neck could have forced his arteries to go into spasm.The inquest was told that there are no rules on what constitutes a safe distance from which to fire a paintball, but players are asked to adhere to “gentlemanly conduct” and not fire at point-blank range.Mrs Costin wept as she told the inquest: “He said it felt like his head was exploding.” A week later, he was “talking gibberish” and was disorientated, she said.

“He kept repeating himself and at the time we thought it was funny and we laughed and joked about it. He made himself some toast and then dropped it and kept saying he was looking for something.”Mrs Costin said she found her husband upstairs, where he had collapsed, a short time later. His face had “dropped” and he was dribbling, so she called an ambulance.The Coroner, David Morris, recording a verdict of death by misadventure, said: “It is not paintballing itself but the general activity that caused him to react in some way, and set off a chain of reactions.”. The residents of Britain’s biggest privately-owned island have won their battle to shed 650 years of feudal shackles and become their own landlords.

The residents of Britain’s biggest privately-owned island have won their battle to shed 650 years of feudal shackles and become their own landlords.
The islanders of Gigha learnt yesterday they could take control of the 3,400-acre rocky outcrop three miles off the coast of Kintyre, despite bidding less than richer rivals for ownership of the island.The 110 islanders, who formed themselves into a trust, were competing against three millionaires from America, Britain and France, who were keen to own their personal fiefdom and become Laird of Gigha. The selling agents, FPD Savills, announced that the islanders’ offer, estimated at about £4m, had been successful but would not reveal how much they paid.They have bought an island that boasts a grand country house, white sandy beaches, a nine-hole golf course, 37 cottages, a shop, a pub and a private airstrip.The current owner, Derek Holt, a 74-year-old leisure group entrepreneur who divides his time between Gigha, London and South Africa, bought the island for £2.3m in 1992. Owing to ill health he put it up for sale in August this year at offers above £3.85m but a spokesman for FPD Savills had said it was expecting the final price to be a good 25 per cent more than that.Mr Holt said yesterday, though, that he had agreed to a “substantial discount on larger offers” so the islanders could take control of the island. He took the final decision after examining the details of each of the bids with his lawyer.

“This has been an exciting few weeks for my family and the islanders of Gigha … we had no objection to the islanders bidding if that is what they wished,” he said.”The island community must now remember they are at the other side of the fence and will all have to become benevolent business people. Remember we are only a short time here, but Gigha will be here for ever.” He added: “Good luck to the community, we hope they enjoy the challenges as my family has.”Willie McSporran, a spokes-man for the islanders, said last night that he was “delighted and overwhelmed” at the news. “We had some champagne to mark the announcement but there will be no major celebrations as we have another meeting,” he said.Many islanders have lived under the reign of several absentee landlords. When Mr Holt decided to sell, islanders thought the time was ripe for the community to take responsibility for their own prosperity and way of life.Within six weeks the residents had formed a non-profit-making trust and secured a pledge of financial help from the Scottish Land Fund and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE). Although the amount promised from each organisation has not been disclosed it is known that the Land Fund, set up with National Lottery cash, broke its£1m ceiling given to previous schemes.