A man who was caught engaging in inappropriate behavior at a cattle farm has avoided jail time.
Farmer Ian Farwell discovered 25-year-old Liam Brown in a compromising position with a calf after setting up surveillance on his property. Brown had activated an alarm during the night and fled the scene, jumping over several gates. However, he ended up in another pen, where he was injured by the animals.
Brown was subsequently apprehended and has faced legal consequences for his actions.
Brown was found by Mr. Farwell, visibly distressed on the ground. The Farwell family has owned the farm for 144 years, and Brown’s father had worked there as a tractor driver for 17 years.
A DNA sample taken from the calf confirmed that sexual contact had occurred on June 12 of the previous year.
Brown admitted to the offense, expressing feelings of “shame and embarrassment.” A judge ordered him to pay £600 in compensation to Mr. Farwell, who described the case as “very alarming, bizarre, and worrying.”
Mr. Farwell had long suspected that his cows were being tampered with, as there had been several unusual incidents prior to this. Surgical gloves, clothing, and the unexplained deaths of young calves had raised suspicions.
In response, Mr. Farwell, along with his wife Tracey, son Ralph, and daughter Emily, developed a plan to catch the individual responsible by installing CCTV cameras.
On June 12, Mr. Farwell heard a calf making a “distinctive distressed sound.” After checking the CCTV, he saw someone in the barn and immediately contacted his father.
Matthew Mortimer, prosecuting, explained in Bournemouth Crown Court: “The family had devised a plan for what to do if someone was caught in the act. They would gather around the gates to prevent escape and then turn on the lights.”
The family believed they might only have one opportunity to catch the perpetrator.
“When a cow is distressed, it makes a very distinctive noise. At 11:45 p.m. on June 12, Ralph woke up to hear a calf making that same distressing sound.
He went to check his phone for reception, accessed the CCTV footage, and saw a figure chasing a calf while holding what appeared to be a belt.
Ralph immediately called his dad to inform him that he was there.”
“Emily and Ian Farwell moved to block the entrance to the parlour. Emily saw the defendant with both arms around the calf, his trousers slightly lowered. She turned on the light.
They saw the male figure’s hips moving, indicating he was engaging in inappropriate behavior with the animal.
The defendant quickly pulled his trousers up and attempted to flee.
Brown was later found crying on the floor, saying, ‘Sorry, I’ve messed up.’
When asked if he had left the calf tied up, he responded that he had finished and untied the calf,” Mr. Mortimer told the court.
Brown sustained an ankle injury from the trampling and was taken into police custody.
In a victim impact statement read by Mr. Farwell, he shared: “I knew something wasn’t right but couldn’t figure out what was happening. Calves were getting sick and dying for no clear reason. We had a reliable supplier, but we pushed them to do extra checks.
But it was the unthinkable actions of the defendant. The animals are incredibly important to me, and seeing them distressed was devastating. It caused significant strain on the family; we all blamed each other, but the truth was something we couldn’t understand.”
Brown, from Grosvenor Garden, Bournemouth, pleaded guilty to sexual penetration with a living animal and causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal.
The court was told that Brown had no prior convictions and had shown genuine remorse.
Olivia McGonigle, defending, stated: “He does not live near the farm and has no intention of working with livestock. He is currently residing with his mother, but there is a possibility that he may move in with his girlfriend, who has been very supportive.”
“He has expressed deep remorse for his actions and is distressed by the pain he has caused,” McGonigle stated.
She added that Brown, who has no formal qualifications, was employed by an agency and had been working night shifts stacking shelves.
Judge Keith Cutler sentenced Brown to a three-year community order, including rehabilitation requirements and 150 hours of unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay £600 in compensation to the Farwells.
Additionally, the judge imposed a disqualification order, barring Brown from keeping livestock for ten years.
Judge Cutler remarked: “This is an alarming, bizarre, and worrying case. I am confident you will look back on it not only with shame and embarrassment but with the resolve that this will never happen again.
“Your actions caused unnecessary suffering and distress to these animals.”
He stated that a lengthy community order would be “more constructive” than a short prison sentence.
Speaking after the case, Mrs. Farwell expressed: “I think he should have gone to prison. It was a horrendous time for us. He told the police this had been happening on and off for seven years.”
She continued, “It was my responsibility to feed the calves, twice a day. They would be fine when I left them at night, but then I would find them ill in the morning, struggling to breathe.”
“I thought they had pneumonia, so I was treating them for that, but it turns out it was because he was strangling them with his belt.”
