Ashley Cole Ashley Cole was last night ­accused of shooting and ­wounding a work ­experience lad in the dressing room at Chelsea’s training ground. The England star was allegedly ­“larking” with the .22 air rifle, which he is thought to own. He is believed to have fired at student Tom Cowan, 21, who was standing just 5ft away. The victim was reported to have been left in agony with blood ­pouring from his side. He was patched up by team medics and given two days off to recover from the wound and the shock. It is not known why Cole had a .22 air rifle, complete with a muzzle and nightscope. This is the most powerful type of gun you can legally own in Britain without a licence – but it is powerful enough to KILL people. Police were not called after the ­shooting and insiders say the club has gone into ­“lockdown” over the incident. They are clearly ­anxious that embarrassing details would be made public.
Last night a club ­spokesman told The People: “We never comment on internal ­matters.” But a Chelsea insider said bosses are “deeply worried” over the potential scandal. It comes as Cole has been enjoying a period of calm after bad publicity over his failed marriage to Cheryl Cole. A source said: “Everyone at Chelsea is extremely worried about how bad this will look at the club. Why Ashley thought he could bring a loaded gun into the training ground is beyond belief.” Tom, from Lincoln, has worked at Chelsea for six months studying the methods of the sports science coaches. His duties involve watching the first team in training and working with ­injured players. The shooting was seen by a dozen Chelsea staff including, it is believed, a number of the first-team squad. Cole, who earns £110,000 a week, is alleged to have pulled the rifle from a box without realising it was loaded and pointed it at Tom. It went off and the round hit him on the side, going through his clothes and burying into his flesh. He went into shock, sitting down on a bench in the changing room and bleeding heavily, it is thought.
Tom was not taken to hospital but instead got emergency treatment from the club’s top medical team at their state-of-the-art facilities in the training complex at Cobham, Surrey. It us believed the pellet was taken out of his wound and he was sent home with dressings. The shooting happened last Sunday morning when Cole, 30, turned up to ­prepare for Tuesday’s Champions League tie against FC Copenhagen. On Wednesday Tom was asked to ­attend a three-hour meeting with Chelsea officials in the office of ­assistant first team coach Bruno Demichelis. Tom is on a year’s internship with the Premier League ­champ- ions from his Loughborough University sports ­science course. His Facebook entry shows him dressed as a Thunderbird with Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti at a Christmas party. Tom is also pictured in the gym with injured midfielder Yossi Benayoun, 30, who signed for the club last July.
In January Tom posted on Facebook: “Can’t believe it’s been six months today since I started at Chelsea. Been ­absolutely class so far!” It is believed Tom’s dad Ronald, 51, a quantity surveyor, is furious about his son’s treatment and has held a second ­meeting with Chelsea officials on Thursday. Under British law the incident could be deemed actual bodily harm with a maximum penalty of five years’ ­imprisonment and an unlimited fine. Powerful rifles similar to Cole’s are used for hunting and pest control to shoot rats and pigeons. They can be bought for a little as £50 but the model that Cole took into the dressing room is believed to be a top-of-the range weapon costing £150.