A hired gunman shot his intended victim's neighbour by mistake, blasting him with a sawn-off shotgun.

Paul Garfield Jones shot 56-year-old Ernest Broom in the stomach from eight feet away, leaving him for dead.

Mr Broom survived the shooting after weeks in hospital.

But he has been left with 280 pellets in his abdomen because surgeons decided it was safer to leave them.

Jones, 39, of Wallis House, Glenn View, East Grinstead, was found guilty of conspiracy to murder, attempted murder and of firearms offences at Kingston Crown Court, south London, yesterday.

Jones, who denied the charges throughout a six-week trial, will be sentenced on December 4.

The court heard how Jones, an antiques dealer with a string of burglary and firearms convictions, was hired to kill a business rival.

Tony Bristow, 48, ran a security guard firm in south London and decided on revenge when his manager Douglas Burns, 49, announced he was setting up his own business, taking customers with him.

Bristow promised Jones a Ford Granada car worth £1,000 and a £200 down-payment in cash if he would kill Mr Burns.

Jones agreed but picked the wrong house when he arrived at Mr Burns's street in Cheam, south London, on November 29 last year.

After shooting the nextdoor neighbour by mistake, Jones went to Bristow's London home to collect the car.

When Bristow told Jones he had shot the wrong man, Jones still insisted on being paid and drove off in the Granada.

Scotland Yard quickly established Mr Broom had been shot by mistake and that Mr Burns was the intended victim.

Through intelligence and checking associates of Mr Bristow, they identified Jones as a suspect. He was arrested in an armed operation.

Police raided a number of addresses and found Jones's jacket which fitted the description of the gunman. Tests showed it carried traces of gunpowder.

A shotgun cartridge was found in one pocket and two more were recovered later at an address where Jones had been. The cartridges were linked through ballistics to the shooting.

Detectives also discovered a boot, belonging to Jones, that matched footprints found at the scene of the crime.

Jones claimed he was with a girlfriend at the shooting but the girlfriend decided not to give evidence. Bristow's wife testified she saw Jones arrive to collect his payment.

Bristow, found guilty of conspiracy to murder at an earlier hearing, will also be sentenced on December 4.

The inquiry was led by Detective Chief Inspector Richard Heselden, of the serious crime squad.

He described Jones as "very cold" and said: "Jones showed no emotion and remained calm throughout police interviews and the long trial.

"We are more than satisfied we charged the right man and very satisfied with the outcome."