No further action to be taken against pensioner who shot dead burglar near Colnbrook by-pass

No further action will be taken against a pensioner who ‘unlawfully killed’ a would-be burglar near the Colnbrook by-pass.

Wayne Digby, 48, of Crown Meadows, Colnbrook, was found dead on June 12, 2017 after being shot in the abdomen while trying to break into a caravan in the early hours of the morning.

Reuben Gregory, 73, who lived in the mobile home with his sister Kathleen Gregory, killed the intruder by blasting his shotgun through the bottom of the caravan’s stable door which was open at the time of the break-in.

Mr Gregory pleaded guilty to possession of a shotgun without a certificate and was jailed for 10 months in December 2017 but was never charged for Mr Digby’s death.

But following a two-day inquest into the death in January, assistant coroner for Berkshire Ian Wade QC ruled that the pensioner had carried out an ‘unlawful act of manslaughter’.

Despite this ruling, a police spokesman said the force had identified ‘no significant new evidence’ to re-review the case.

A Thames Valley Police spokesman said: “Following a review of the evidence presented at the coroner’s court during the inquest of Wayne Digby, no significant new evidence was identified by Thames Valley Police.

“After a consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the force will not be resubmitting a file to the CPS as there are no grounds to re-review the case.”

Anthony Hearn, 48, of Moreland Close, Colnbrook, an accomplice of Mr Digby on the night of the incident, has admitted aggravated burglary and is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence.