Millionaire faces life behind bars for ex-wife murder bid

A millionaire pensioner was today facing the rest of his life behind bars for attempting to kill his ex-wife after she tried to get a share of his fortune.

Ronald Seymour, 70, shot Sonia Delvaille, 65, three times in the head at point-blank range after she left her solicitor's office.

Only one of the three bullets entered her brain and she was saved following an emergency operation in February.

The couple, who were worth nearly £3 million between them, had been due in court the following day to sort out a financial settlement.

Sentencing at Southwark Crown Court, Judge Anthony Leonard told Seymour he would serve an indeterminate sentence for public protection with a minimum term of 12 years and six months.

The judge said the offence was a "long and wicked crusade of violence against a person who loved you".

He said: "In passing the sentence, I realise that bearing in mind the age of the defendant, he may remain in custody for the rest of his life.

"In considering the sentence, I have had in mind that there is a long history of violence to Miss Delvaille, which she suffered in silence.

"This was not just a spur of the moment loss of temper. It was sheer luck that she survived being shot in the head three times. It is sheer luck you were not being tried for murder."

Seymour, of Hendon Lane, Finchley, north London, was found guilty of attempted murder after only an hour by a jury at the Old Bailey last month.

He pleaded guilty to having a prohibited weapon, a revolver, with ammunition and not having a certificate for it.

At the earlier hearing, the court was told that Miss Delvaille, who had walked out on Seymour a few months before, was too seriously injured to give evidence in court. She is receiving 24-hour care.

Seymour, who owned four houses, had run successful nightclubs in the West End and had also run the Muhammad Ali fan club in England.

After his arrest, he told police his wife wanted to "take everything" in a financial settlement.

The couple had been together for 40 years and continued to live together despite getting a divorce in 1996.

The prosecution said Seymour was a controlling man who had been violent towards Miss Delvaille.

He told police he feared she would "take everything" in a financial settlement due to be settled in court the day following the shooting.

During the trial, Sarah Whitehouse, prosecuting, said: "Miraculously, she survived the shooting."

She added: "He said he was due in court the next day and he feared his wife would take everything."

Seymour ran off after the shooting in Cavendish Avenue, Finchley, and threw the bag with the gun and bullets into a river near his house, where it was later recovered.

He rang his solicitor and friends to confess to the killing and was about to go to a police station when he was arrested.

A statement issued by members of Miss Delvaille's family said: "Before the shooting, Sonia loved life and led a very active life.

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