A CACHE of weapons has been retrieved from the house of a suspect bailed after Sunday’s incident where an 18-year-old was shot in the forehead with an air rifle. Detective Sergeant Andy Jones said that a number of air rifle-type weapons had been seized from the premises.

He added that they had now been sent for forensic examination.

Victim Dexter Crowson, an apprentice bathroom fitter from the Vale, returned to work yesterday following hospital treatment for his wound but was still complaining of headaches, said his mother, Julie Clarke.

Meanwhile, Island Games gold medallist Nikki Trebert has spoken in defence of gun sports but admitted that controls needed tightening.

‘There are very strict guidelines which I think are really important,’ she said.

‘Shooting’s no more dangerous than a lot of other sports in some ways.

‘But for someone to go out with an air rifle and target people is upsetting.

‘It shocks and saddens me that it has happened.’

Ms Trebert added that it might be a good idea to introduce the sport in schools.

‘I started shooting when I was very young, so I was disciplined from a very early age and knew how to use a weapon properly,’ she said.

‘If proper education was implemented then perhaps shooting should be brought in as part of games lessons at school.

‘That would teach children to respect rifles and not to consider them as a weapon.

‘A shooting is always something that is picked up very quickly and highlighted by the media. But ultimately anybody could use anything as a weapon.’

Ms Trebert’s words were echoed by Vale deputy Peter Roffey, who said that unfortunately incidents such as Sunday’s tended to occur every few years.

‘Controls on firearms need to be as tight as they can be, without the odd idiot spoiling it for responsible enthusiasts,’ he said.