Jail for man who killed good friend 
 
 A man is dead and his close friend faces seven years' jail because of "stupidity", "recklessness" and a blunder over a vest, a court has heard. 
 
 Lorry driver Ian Catley fired a shotgun at his friend Philip Harper in a farmer's field near Melbourn, Cambridgeshire, on June 29 last year - because his mate had asked him to help him test out what he mistakenly believed was a bullet-proof vest. 
 
 But the plastic-lined garment instead funnelled the shotgun spray into the centre of Mr Harper's chest, severing an artery, and the 46-year-old died almost instantly. 
 
 Ian Catley admitted manslaughter for the killing of Philip Harper (Cambridgeshire Police/PA) 
 
 The Meldreth man's killer initially told police he'd been aiming at a pigeon, but London's Southwark Crown Court today heard he quickly admitted that he had agreed to shoot his friend at close-range. 
 
 Catley, 40, of Melbourn, pleaded guilty to manslaughter last November. 
 
 "You shot Mr Harper at a distance of less than 20 feet, causing him catastrophic injuries and immediate death," Judge Jeffrey Pegden QC told Catley at sentencing. "You then, straight away, took him to hospital but tragically, nothing could be done to save his life." 
 
 Catley stared straight ahead in the dock as the sentence came down, while his elderly mother appeared to fight back tears in the public gallery. 
 
 "Your remorse is complete and genuine," the judge said. "You recognise the magnitude of your actions and I have no doubt that the effects of killing your good friend will last with you for the rest of your life." 
 
 The judge added that the victim seemed to have been an enthusiastic participant in the tragic shooting, saying: "For reasons which will never be known, Mr Harper was extremely eager to test the effectiveness of that vest whilst he wore it." 
 
 But "the risk of death or serious injury to Mr Harper must in my judgment have been absolutely obvious", he said, and Catley had "manifestly breached" the obligations and duties that came with holding a gun licence. 
 
 Defence barrister Mark McDonald had argued that the killing was the result of a reckless act to which the "keen" Mr Harper had nevertheless consented. 
 
 The dead man had visited a military surplus store the previous day and was "very keen" to test the effectiveness of his new kit, which was described by prosecutor Martin Mulgrew as a "protective" vest. 
 
 The court heard that after leaving Rugby Trading International Ltd with his new vest, Mr Harper had asked a friend - James Hill - to help him test it out, but that Mr Hill had flatly refused. 
 
 "(Mr Harper) was very proud of it. He'd gone to the pub that evening wearing that vest and indeed a Swat cap," Mr McDonald said. 
 
 Mr Harper had a drink or two and asked around, Mr McDonald said, and his client fatefully agreed. 
 
 He said Catley had nightmares and woke each morning remembering what he had done. 
 
 "He's lost his friend, a close friend, and he did it because of his own stupidity and his recklessness," Mr McDonald said. 
 
 Catley will serve up to half his seven-year sentence, and the judge ordered that his gun be forfeited and destroyed. 
 
 Detective Inspector Ian Simmons, of Cambridgeshire Police, said: "This is a particularly sad case, where a foolish incident ended in tragedy. 
 
 "These second-hand protective vests should not be relied on whatsoever to protect you from gunshot and I'm urging people to take this as a warning. 
 
 "Our deepest sympathies are with Mr Harper's family and friends at this time." 

 Image caption Ian Catley (left) took Philip Harper to an ambulance station after the shooting 
 
 A man who accidentally shot his friend dead while testing if his bullet-proof vest worked has been jailed. 
 
 Philip Harper, 46, of High Street, Meldreth, Cambridgeshire, died from a gunshot wound to the chest on 29 June. 
 
 He had been hunting on farmland near Melbourn with his friend Ian Catley when he was shot. 
 
 Catley, 40, of Metcalfe Way, Melbourn, told police Mr Harper had asked him to test the vest. He admitted manslaughter and was jailed for seven years. 
 
 Mr Harper had bought what he believed to be a bullet-proof vest from a surplus store the day before, Cambridgeshire Police said. 
 
 'Catastrophic injuries' 
 
 In a statement to detectives, Catley said he had shot at his friend in response to his request to test the vest. 
 
 Mr Harper suffered fatal gunshot wounds to the chest and although Catley drove him to Melbourn ambulance station, paramedics were unable to save him. 
 
 Catley pleaded guilty to manslaughter on 13 November. 
 
 Sentencing him to seven years in jail at Southwark Crown Court, Judge Jeffrey Pegden QC told Catley: "You shot Mr Harper at a distance of less than 20 feet, causing him catastrophic injuries and immediate death. 
 
 "You then, straight away, took him to hospital but tragically nothing could be done to save his life." 
 
 Det Insp Ian Simmons, said: "This is a particularly sad case, where a foolish incident ended in tragedy. 
 
 "These second-hand protective vests should not be relied on whatsoever to protect you from gunshot and I'm urging people to take this as a warning."
– A British truck driver has become the latest person to discover that helping a friend test out the bulletproof vest he's wearing is a good way to lose both your friend and your freedom. Ian Catley, 40, has received a seven-year sentence for manslaughter after admitting that he shot 46-year-old Philip Harper in the chest with a shotgun when his friend asked him to test what he thought was a bulletproof vest, reports the BBC. Police say that instead of protecting Harper, the plastic-lined vest funneled the shotgun spray into the center of his chest, killing him almost instantly, the Daily Mail reports. Catley's lawyer says that the day before the shooting, Harper had gone to the pub wearing his new vest and a SWAT cap and asked around to see if anybody was willing to help him test it. "You shot Mr. Harper at a distance of less than 20 feet, causing him catastrophic injuries and immediate death," the judge said as he sentenced Catley. "You then, straight away, took him to hospital, but tragically, nothing could be done to save his life." The judge acknowledged that Catley's "remorse is complete and genuine" and said he had no "doubt that the effects of killing your good friend will last with you for the rest of your life," but he added that the risk of death or serious injury must have been "absolutely obvious." Two similar cases in South Carolina and Baltimore last year also resulted in deaths and criminal charges.