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A 15-year-old boy has been arrested after a car was allegedly used to mow down and kill 14 lambs worth £2,000 each.
The incident happened in a field in Bramley, near Guildford, Surrey, on Thursday morning.
Farmer Nick Hutley, 65, found several gates at Gate Street Farm had been broken into overnight and described it all as ‘simply crazy’.
The 15-year-old from Redhill, Surrey, was arrested on suspicion of two counts of criminal damage and has since been released on bail, pending further investigation.
12 lambs were found dead in the field and two others were put down later, Mr Hutley said.
The dead lambs were taken away to be incinerated, another big cost for him.
He also found car parts in the field like parts of a bumper of what looks like a Nissan 4×4 by the bodies.
Describing the moment he found his livestock dead, Mr Hutley said: ‘It was a state of shock…
‘My first reaction was that there must be some sort of dreadful disease, then reality sets in – there’s not a disease that could have killed 14 healthy lambs like this.
‘As I approached them I thought maybe they’d been shot or attacked by a dog – then I saw the tyre tracks and realised somebody had driven over them.
‘I still find it difficult to comprehend that any monster would get any satisfaction from running over animals.
‘It’s a notion I cannot fathom at all. It just doesn’t pass any form of sense that a monster could do something as barbaric and cruel as this.
‘It’s truly horrific. We are still reeling from it and can’t quite get over it. It’s just appalling.
‘They would have had to get out of the vehicle to lift the first gate off its hinge.
‘It was a double wooden gate and fairly substantial – a two-man job to lift it.’
He believes the inhumane act could be linked to other rural crime in the area.
‘I have heard stories of a local farmer having his cows shot at,’ he said.
‘I think there’s some psychopath with a grudge against animals on the loose, and if something is not done soon, I can only think this will get worse.
‘The general public should be aware that it could be their dogs and cats next if there are people joyriding around running over innocent lambs in the middle of the night.
‘There are no bounds as to what he or she will want to do next time; no bounds to their lust for cruelty.
‘Perhaps there are other incidents the police are unaware of.
‘I’ve never seen or heard of anything like this before. It’s a crime committed by somebody who is not sane and needs specialist help.’
Waverley Neighbourhood Sergeant Phil Bayman added: ‘This incident is extremely unusual, and we appreciate that it will have caused considerable distress to the owner of the farm and within the wider community.
‘We would like to reassure you that we are taking this seriously and doing everything we can to bring those responsible to justice.
‘We are asking anyone with any information, including anyone who witnessed the incident, or with any other information, particularly anyone who may have seen a damaged vehicle in the area around the time of the offence, to come forward as soon as possible.
‘We are also looking for any dashcam or CCTV footage which may help our investigation.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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