GRUESOME remains of 14 butchered sheep were discovered by two young children on a farm in Crick.
The sheep – three ewes and 11 lambs – were illegally slaughtered at Park End Farming, off the A428 between Crick and West Haddon, at some time between 4pm on Sunday (July 7) and 4pm on Monday (July 8).
The carcasses were stolen and the remains left in a field, apart from two sheep which were killed and left at the scene.
Farmer Phil Neal said words could not describe how he felt after his partner Katie and sons Charles, two, and Tom, eight, discovered the remains on the way home from school.
“It’s the worst thing for my children to witness,” he said. “We’re in shock, feeling emotionally and physically exhausted.
“I feel like giving up, after all the hard work and love that goes into our stock.”
He said he was coping relatively well, but the same could not be said for Katie.
“She’s taking it incredibly badly because she’s bred some of these sheep for over ten years, so she personally knows them.”
And he described it as a ‘double-whammy’ because the slaughtered sheep were intended for his local meat business.
“Financially, the loss is in the thousands,” he said.
He believes a law change is needed to stop such crimes as they are becoming more common.
“The people who did this are highly-skilled butchers – they leave no meat on the bone.
“If I stepped on someone’s property carrying a knife to steal their dog, I would go to prison. What is the difference?
“I think because this is happening more regularly to farmers that a law change is needed. There needs to be stricter punishment.”
He added over half a million people had visited the farm’s Facebook page since the incident.
“The support and the kindness these strangers have shown my family has been humbling. I’d like to thank all of them.”
Police are appealing for anyone who saw or heard anything suspicious in the area, or who has any information that may assist their inquiries, to get in touch.Call Northamptonshire Police on 101 (or 03000 111 222 if calling from outside Northamptonshire), or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
Police issued a warning in April amid rocketing thefts of sheep and lambs and their illegal butchery in Warwickshire, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire.
