A BMW garage boss who blasted three people with a pump action shotgun at a clay pigeon shoot has received an unusual punishment – he has been banned from watching his favourite rugby team play.

David Richards, 44, walked free from court with a suspended sentence but he was subjected to a six months curfew which will stop him attending Gloucester Rugby Club's matches.

Judge Jamie Tabor QC had heard that Richards drank heavily during and after a rugby match the day before he stupidly pointed his faulty gun towards three other shooters at a clay pigeon event.

He was between two and a half and four times over the drink drive limit at the time of the shooting.

Gloucester Crown Court heard that one of the shooting victims, retired health and safety officer Graham Wheeler, 69, was saved by his iPhone, which was in his top pocket shielding his heart.

The phone was destroyed in the blast but he was still left with 140 other pellets embedded in his left arm, chest and body.

Richards, of May Hill, whose marriage had broken up the day before the incident, admitted unlawfully wounding Mr Wheeler, 56 year old Trudi Chinn and Paul Murray, 40, at the event at Chesgrove Farm, Longhope on November 27th last year.

The judge sentenced Richards to 12 months jail suspended for two years. He also ordered him to do 200 hours of work and pay £2,500 prosecution costs, and he placed Richards under a weekend curfew.

Kannan Siva, defending, said Richards had already been sentenced for drink driving after the shooting and had undergone a driver rehabilitation course. Richards had been 'absolutely gutted' by the injuries he caused to his victims and he had been 'humbled' by their forgiveness, said Mr Siva.

Richards was unlikely to be allowed to own a shotgun again and the case had already cost him £9,000 in Legal Aid contributions, he said. He was also facing civil injury compensation claims.

Passing sentence Judge Tabor said:?"He broke the golden rule, he was at the very least feeling hungover, and he was using a gun he knew was defective.

"He nearly killed three people. There must be punishment for this act of gross negligence."

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