Teenager dies after friend shoots him in head on hunting trip

Alex Bailey, 18, described as 'the heart and soul of every party' was blasted with a shotgun by a companion as they both fired at the same bird.

Police questioned his two friends but are not treating the death on farmland near Lewes, in East Sussex as suspicious. The accident happened at Itford Farm in Southease last Wednesday.

Farmer Martin Brickell, who owns the land, said: "I was on the other side of the valley and saw the police helicopter and heard the ambulances.

"I thought they were looking for someone who had run away. We allow the boys to go shooting on the land as they are friends of my workers.

"The corn had been cut last week so the conditions were good for shooting pigeons. It's a very sad thing to have happened. All our thoughts go to the family."

Alex's accountant father Andrew, 49, and mother Sandra, 46, paid tribute to their son last night.

"Alex was out pigeon-shooting with two friends. Around 5pm, as they were planning to return home, a bird came into view," said Mr Bailey.

"We do not have complete details from the police, but it appears that Alex and one of his friends both went for the bird at the same time and Alex got caught in the line of fire,' his father said in a statement.

He added: "Alex greatly enjoyed country pursuits, especially shooting. He had held his shotgun licence for over a year and was well experienced in the craft, as were the two friends with him.

"The family wish to stress that Alex's death was nothing more than a tragic accident."

The 18-year-old died instantaneously according to the coroner, Mr Bailey said.

Mr Bailey, from the village of Kingston, near Lewes, said his 6ft 5in son, a keen rugby player was a 'gentle giant' with a creative side to him - and had once won a trophy in a local flower and handicraft show.

Alex, who also had a 15-year-old brother, John, was planning to study business at Sussex Downs College in September.

Speaking at the family home last night his grandmother June Bailey tearfully said: "We are all absolutely devastated. Words cannot even begin to describe how we feel.

"It was a tragic accident and we are all still trying to come to terms with it. His mother, father and brother are very upset and need time to deal with what has happened."

The teenager was well-liked in the village and had been the anchor for the winning side in the village tug-of-war contest at Kingston summer fete last month.

He was also well known for breeding peacocks and chickens in the garden of his family home.

In a joint statement friends Craig Chatwin, Harry Wade and Luke Brown paid tribute to Mr Bailey on the Bebo networking website.

They said: "Alex was a larger-than-life character. He thoroughly enjoyed himself whatever he was doing and there was never a dull moment when Bailey was around.

"He always knew how to make everyone laugh and was infamous for his typical quirky comments.

"He died in a shocking and tragic accident doing something he loved.

"Everyone who knew him has been devastated by his sudden death. He'll be greatly missed by his friends."

Craig Chatwin added: "He was the heart and soul of every party. There was never a dull moment around him."

Pauline Murray, the assistant head at The Priory School, which Mr Bailey used to attend, said he had used his size to help younger pupils being bullied.

She added: "He had a wicked sense of humour. He was cheeky, but he always knew where the line was and never crossed it.

"We are all devastated by what has happened."

An inquest into the death of Mr Bailey, from Kingston, near Lewes, has been opened and adjourned. The coroner's officer is continuing with her inquiries. His funeral is to be held on Monday.

A police spokesman said: "Three men were shooting with the farmers permission and one of them, an 18-year-old man, received wounds to the head and subsequently died.

"It is not being treated as suspicious."