A TEENAGER who came "horrifyingly close" to blinding a friend when he shot him with an air rifle has been sent to a young offenders institution for a year and nine months.

After the shooting, at his home in Bakers Court, Church Street, Cleobury Mortimer, Jake Arwand and another friend went on a drunken "rampage", smashing windows in the town with the butt of the weapon.

When he returned home, he threatened to burn down a neighbour’s house - with his children inside - after being told to be quiet.

Arwand, a 19-year-old chef, admitted assault, having an offensive weapon, possession of cannabis, using threatening behaviour and four counts of criminal damage.

Zaheer Afzal, prosecuting, said Arwand was drinking with friends at home on January 3 when one of them, Archie Jones, went to the bathroom.

Mr Jones came out of the bathroom and was at the top of the stairs when Arwand aimed at him from the bottom, 15ft away, and shot him with the air rifle, hitting him near his right eye, with the pellet lodging on the inside of his upper nose.

As Mr Jones screamed in pain Arwand told him: “That was a good shot.”

Mr Jones suffered a bruised retina and bleeding behind his eye and almost lost his sight, said Mr Afzal.

Worcester Crown Court heard that Arwand and another friend then went out, using the rifle as a club to break windows.

Mr Afzal added that, when they returned from the spree, Arwand threatened neighbour Simon Harper, who had asked them to be quiet, saying he would burn his house down with his children inside.

Delroy Henry, defending, said Arwand was genuinely remorseful for his actions. The shooting had been "reckless", rather than intentional and it had come from "youthful stupidity and horseplay".

He had intended to scare Mr Jones, rather than carrying out a vengeful attack.

Mr Henry added that Arwand had a turbulent youth in the local authority care system but later qualified as a carpenter.

At the time of the offences he was working as a chef.

Judge Robert Juckes QC told Arwand: “What you were motivated by was a desire to impress your friends.

“You told your friends you were going to shoot Archie Jones. There’s only one conclusion - that you shot him deliberately.”

The judge added that Arwand had come "horrifyingly close" to blinding his friend.