A MAN jailed for nine years for shooting his wife in the head following an argument over shepherd's pie has lodged an appeal against his conviction for attempted murder.

Simon Lee, who was born and brought up in Horwich, was found guilty of trying to kill his wife, Caron, in the village of Lorton, near Cockermouth, after a row about his dinner.

The 45-year-old has filed papers with the Court of Appeal in London which are being considered by court officers.

He was sentenced two years ago at Preston Crown Court following a three-day trial.

Lee attacked his wife with a table leg and shot her twice in the head with an air rifle.

He ran off hiding in the nearby fells, leaving her in a pool of blood, before giving himself up a few hours later.

The couple married in 1997 and moved to High Armaside Cottages, Lorton, to try and save their failing marriage.

But tension between the couple erupted into violence on December 9, 2001.

When they arrived home after a day out, they argued over Mrs Lee's 15-year-old son by a previous relationship.

The defendant then demanded shepherd's pie for his tea but was told he could not have any.

During the trial, the court heard how the father-of-one Lee suffered from sheep dip poisoning and did not have a history of violence.

Relatives claimed the incident was "totally out of character" for Lee, a former agricultural pest controller.