Man ‘blasted intruder with sawn-off shotgun then requested him if he wished an aspirin’
Adrian Frost shot Connor Batty when he and two other friends forced entry to his home in Hemsworth, near Wakefield, West Yorkshire
Connor Batty was shot
A man blasted dead an intruder in his home with a sawn-off shotgun before jokingly asking him if he “wanted an aspirin” as he lay dying, a court heard.
Adrian Frost, 61, made the quip after he gunned down 26-year-old Connor Batty when he and two other friends forced entry to his home in Hemsworth, near Wakefield, West Yorks., on September 11 last year.
A court heard after the shooting Frost also sent out a message to another person, saying Mr Batty was “dead as a post” and even took photos of his body. Frost has denied murdering Batty, instead claiming he acted in self-defence and is standing trial at Leeds Crown Court.
Giving evidence, Frost was quizzed by prosecutor Tom Storey KC who asked him if he found it “amusing” by asking the stricken Mr Batty “Do you want an aspirin mate?” Frost replied: “I did not find it amusing at all. I was in shock. I do not know why I said it.”
The court heard Mr Batty and his two other friends had been armed with a pistol, baseball bat, and shears when they broke into Frost’s home looking to steal his cannabis grow.
They had shouted that they “knew what he had”, referring to the drugs, before Frost dialled 999 to report the break-in.
Frost is accused of then loading his illegal 12-bore sawn-off shotgun before opening fire as the intruders burst through the door. Mr Barry was hit in the chest and pronounced dead a short time later.
The remaining two fled after the shotgun discharge.
A police search of the house unearthed a multitude of weapons, including air rifles, machetes, baseball bats, CS gas canisters and hundreds of rounds of shotgun cartridges.
Three of the four bedrooms had been turned over to growing cannabis.
Frost told the court that people should be able to defend their home if others break in.
He initially said he had slipped and fired the gun towards the intruders, which he later admitted was a lie. Frost previously entered a guilty pleas to possession of a prohibited firearm and production of Class B drugs, but denies murder.
The trial continues.
