A marksman who took pot-shots at stray sheep "like in a shooting gallery" has told a court that his main concern was "safety, safety and safety".

Adrian Walker, 33, is accused of recklessly shooting at sheep while employed to carry out culls during last year's foot-and-mouth crisis.

He allegedly broke safety laws by chasing sheep and firing his .22 rifle from 30 metres away instead of the recommended 25cm from the creatures' head.

The shooting was captured on home video

That prompted fearful residents in homes next to the Abergavenny field to scream in horror, the court heard earlier this week.

Mr Walker told Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday that he considered himself to be a "very proficient" shooter.

But, he admitted, he would do it differently next time.

He was hired by Monmouthshire County Council to kill stray animals which may have been carrying foot-and-mouth disease.

The butcher has held a slaughterman's licence for more than two years and - since he was 16 - a firearms certificate, which police had amended for the job.

He was dispatched to a field in Gilwern, Abergavenny, where 21 ewes and 11 lambs had been rounded up.

He was filmed by a resident, firing "indiscriminately" and "willy nilly" - "as if he was in a shooting gallery"

I have been shooting since I was at school. I would say that I was very proficient with shooting. I was very familiar with the area

Adrian Walker

He is charged with two counts of breaking health and safety regulations, endangering distressed homeowners.

Firing areas

But Mr Walker told the jury he was trying to ensure their safety by marking out a safe shooting area.

"I was very familiar with the area as I had played there as a young person," he said.

"I looked at the field and identified the main route up to the road was out of bounds to shoot the sheep as there were houses there.

"Realistically, that area was unsafe to shoot because of the houses."

He said the local authority had hired him for culls half a dozen times in the month preceding the incident.

'Proficient shooter'

And Mr Walker of Abergavenny also claimed he was a good aim with his rifle, which was shown to the jury on Thursday.

"I have been shooting since I was at school. I would say I was very proficient with shooting," he said.

The court has also heard there was a risk of the bullet ricocheting, which could have endangered residents.

On Wednesday, a police marksman and an international rifle shooter told the court that Mr Walker should not have fired from so far away.

Mr Walker denies both charges.

The trial continues.