Ronald Seymour jailed for shooting his wife in London, England

A 70 year old man was yesterday, 27 October, handed an indeterminate sentence at Southwark Crown Court for the attempted murder of his wife, after he shot her in the head three times in Finchley in February.

Ronald Seymour, a retired businessman of Hendon Lane, Finchley, had also pleaded guilty at a previous hearing to possession of a prohibited weapon and possession of ammunition.

His indeterminate sentence for attempted murder came with a recommended minimum term of 12 years imprisonment.

DI Sally Jeffrey of Trident Non-fatal Shootings Team said:

"The relationship between Seymour and his wife had broken down over a period of time, causing much animosity between them. As a result of his actions, Mrs Delvaille was ultimately left fighting for her life. The Metropolitan Police Service is determined to bring perpetrators of domestic violence to justice and deal with the victims and their families sensitively."

The court heard that police were called at approximately 17:20hrs on Thursday, 11 February 2010 to reports of a woman shot in Cavendish Avenue N3.

The woman, Sonia Delvaille, a former croupier aged 65, was taken by ambulance to a west London hospital suffering gunshot wounds to her face which resulted in two of the bullets becoming lodged in her skull. The injuries have caused long-term, life-changing effects.

Witnesses described how Ms Delvaille and a man had been seen arguing prior to the incident, and he had dragged her down the street whilst she was screaming. He then appeared to fire a handgun from inside a white plastic bag, and as she fell to the floor he fired a further two shots at her before running away.

An hour later police received a call from a solicitors firm known to Ronald Seymour, stating that he had rang them and told them he had shot his wife and he was sat on a wall outside.

Armed police attended the address and arrested him in the street.

During his arrest Ronald Seymour admitted to officers that he had shot his wife and directed them to where he had disposed of the gun, which was then recovered from a stream in Waverley Grove.

Prior to the shooting it is known that Sonia had attended an appointment with her solicitor earlier that day regarding obtaining a financial settlement following their recent separation.

When interviewed by police Seymour gave no comment and was charged on 12 February as above and remanded in custody.

Statement made by the brothers and sisters and extended family of the victim:

"As an adult Sonia is a very kind person, she is caring, giving and also very forgiving. We are a close-knit family and Sonia is a key member of it.

"Before the shooting Sonia loved life and led a very active life. She completed the London-to-Brighton bike ride every year for the British Heart Foundation and helped out as a volunteer at a local old people’s home. She often went to the gym, sometimes twice a day and was very conscious about her health. She would also spend time reading in the library and took courses to improve herself.

"We are lucky to have a strong, close family but Ronald Seymour’s actions mean that Sonia’s and our lives have changed forever."