A thug has been convicted of “brutally and callously” murdering a homeless old soldier with a sawn-off shotgun.

A jury took less than three hours to convict Richard Donovan of killing Philip Fox in a tent in a remote wood in Canterbury.

The prosecution alleged 26-year-old Donovan simply wanted to kill somebody and knew the victim would not be missed because he was living rough.

Donovan’s girlfriend Daisy Avery told of being with him on the day it was believed Mr Fox, who was 59, was shot dead.

Prosecutor Sandip Patel said Donovan was on August 4 last year drunk and carrying the “cherished” firearm in a drawstring bag.

Miss Avery followed him to B&M Bargains on the Riverside Retail Park in Wincheap along a footpath. He sat by a tree and removed the shotgun from a bag.

Mr Fox came along and said “All right?” as he passed.*

“Mr Donovan appeared to be worried about what he had seen and followed him into the bushes,” Mr Patel told the jury of 10 men and two women at Maidstone Crown Court.

Miss Avery followed Mr Donovan and they came to a red and black tent.

Donovan, whose mother lived in nearby Thanington, and Mr Fox chatted before Donovan was alleged to have hugged Miss Avery and told her to go and buy some tobacco.

“As she returned with the tobacco she heard a very loud bang,” said Mr Patel. “She recognised it as the same sound as when Mr Donovan shot at things in anger.

“She saw Mr Donovan running towards her. At the same time he dismantled the shotgun into three pieces and concealed it in his drawstring bag.

“She asked what happened. He said the man was dead. He said he had shot him in the face and his brains had gone all over the tent.”

Mr Patel said the shotgun was supplied by Tony Hindmarsh, who was married to Donovan’s cousin.

Donovan, of Westhorne Avenue, Eltham, south east London, denied murder.

Hindmarsh, 36, of Romney Sands Holiday Park, The Parade, Greatstone, denied selling or transferring the shotgun to Donovan and was acquitted by the jury.

He admitted possessing prohibited ammunition and will be sentenced with Donovan tomorrow morning.