A teenager who was shot in the back by a millionaire a day after trespassing on his country estate is trying to sue him for nearly £3million in damages – four years after the landowner was acquitted of attempted murder, MailOnline can reveal.
Tom Frearson, then 16, was shot with a Beretta 20-bore double-barrelled shotgun outside Witley Park Estate near Godalming in Surrey by businessman Gary Steele.
The teenager admits he was trespassing on the grounds with a group of teenagers on July 8, 2018 and were chased by ground staff on quad bikes a day before the shooting.
He claims that on the day in question, he was walking outside the perimeter wall of the estate on a public footpath on Lea Coach Road when Mr Steele, 63, shot him without warning over the wall and yelled: ‘I told you not to come back’ – before turning his back on him and walking away.
The millionaire landowner, who did not have a shotgun licence, later told police he had shot Mr Frearson.
The teenager was taken to hospital with gunshot wounds in his left upper arm and back. He needed surgery on his left arm and claims he will need about 50 operations to remove hundreds of shotgun pellets still in his body. Mr Frearson also says he developed post-traumatic stress disorder and suffered from panic attacks, nightmares, fatigue and depression.
Now Mr Frearson is suing the businessman for nearly £3million in compensation, claiming Mr Steele shot him deliberately, ‘intending to kill or seriously injure him’ and his actions were ‘deliberate or criminally reckless’. The then teenager claims there is no defence to his claim.
Tom Frearson says he was shot in the back with a Beretta 20-bore double-barrelled shotgun outside Witley Park Estate near Godalming in Surrey
Mr Frearson was shot by Mr Steele while walking along Lea Coach Road
Mr Steele’s partner, Amanda Karn, later told police Mr Steele had phoned her saying: ‘I think I got one of them’. Mr Steele was arrested on July 9, and told the custody sergeant: ‘I did fire the gun. I fired two shots.’
He refused to answer any questions from police in July, but his legal representatives read out a prepared statement. He again refused to answer police questions in November, the court heard.
These questions included why he had a shotgun and ammunition despite having no licence, why he was riding around the estate with a shotgun and ammunition, what his intentions were, why his statement claimed he had fired the gun in the air when forensics showed this was untrue, and whether he had deleted footage from a security camera, it is alleged.
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The Witley Estate, comprising some 1,300 acres, was purchased by the late Sir Raymond Brown and his wife Carol in 1982.
In 2002, the Brown family sold the 450 acres of walled-off parkland, gate lodges and cottages to Mr Steele, but kept Witley Park Farm to the south.
Witley Park is set in the stunning Surrey countryside near Godalming
A gatehouse at Witley Park, where businessman Mr Steele, who did not have a shotgun licence, allegedly shot Mr Frearson over a wall as he was standing on public land
Mr Steele is believed to have sold his stake in the estate in 2019 for £30million. He bought a farm nearby for £12million.
Mr Frearson, who had planned to become a motor mechanic, gave evidence at the criminal trial in October 2019 and could not carry on with his work as a junior mechanic because of stress and anxiety.
He has been working at his father’s motorbike parts business Rockerbox for between £10 and £30 a day, but says his hand injuries limit his work.
He says he is disabled, suffering from cognitive impairment, psychological injuries, disturbed sleep, chronic pain and restrictions in dexterity and strength. He admits using cannabis to cope with the pain and persistent flashbacks, and is self-conscious about his scarring. His arm injury has left his arm weak with restricted movements.
His claim for damages includes the cost of medication, occupational therapy, care and assistance, case management, alterations to his parents’ home where he lives including a Quooker hot tap, electric vegetable peeler, body dryer, and aids to make his hobby of fishing easier.
Mr Frearson is seeking a total of £2,799,756 in special damages, as well as damages for his injury, pain and suffering, and interest.
The claim was issued by Mancini Legal of Horsham.
