Record producer shot by her son

The owner of a record label is in a critical condition after being shot accidentally with an air rifle by her son.

Jill Sinclair, the businesswoman and film producer who set up ZTT Records with her husband, Trevor Horn, 23 years ago, was shot in the neck by her son Aaron who was playing with an air rifle in the garden of their home near Henley, Oxfordshire.

The pellet, which was fired by the 22-year-old during a target practice session, hit an artery.

Ms Sinclair, who was rushed to hospital in Reading on Sunday, remains unconscious in the intensive care unit. A spokesman for the company said the 54-year-old was in a critical condition, but was stable.

"It was a complete accident," he said. "It was a real freak occurrence that her son was shooting at some targets in the garden and wasn't aware that she was close by.

"Purely accidentally she took a pellet in the neck. She is stable but critical. She is under deep sedation and in an induced coma."

He said it was too early to tell whether Ms Sinclair would suffer brain damage from the injury.

Ms Sinclair formed ZTT Records in 1983, the label that signed Frankie Goes To Hollywood and The Art of Noise. In the 1990s, ZTT became a successful dance label featuring artists such as Seal and Adamski.The former maths teacher married Mr Horn 26 years ago. He went on to record hit single "Video Killed The Radio Star" with the Buggles.

The couple, who also have a home in St John's Wood, London, have four children, - their son and three daughters, the youngest of whom is 11. It is understood that Aaron was at home from university for the weekend when the accident happened.