A 78-year-old man has pleaded guilty to shooting his great-grandson dead with a pellet gun.

Albert Grannon has admitted manslaughter after six-year-old Stanley Metcalf suffered a hole in his abdomen in Sproatley, East Yorkshire, on 26 July last year.

Grannon also admitted possessing an air rifle without holding a firearms certificate at Hull Crown Court.

He sat in the dock wearing a jacket, shirt and tie and listened to the proceedings through a headset.

The hearing has been adjourned until later this afternoon so a sentencing date can be fixed.


Grannon was granted conditional bail.

Family members were seated in the public gallery and on chairs within the courtroom normally reserved for jury members.

No details of the offence were given during Monday's court hearing.

Stanley was taken to the Hull Royal Infirmary after being shot in the abdomen but was pronounced dead later the same day.

His family described him as being "vibrant and full of energy" after his death.

They said in a statement: "We are absolutely devastated and completely heartbroken without Stanley and it still doesn't feel real we won't see his happy, smiling face again.

"There are no real words to express how the loss of Stanley has affected us and we all miss him so much.

"Stanley was a loving, caring and beautiful boy."