Man who shot and killed 'marauding' cow near Bridgnorth is cleared
A man who shot and killed a "marauding" cow when a herd of 10 to 15 charged him at his home near Bridgnorth has been cleared after magistrates ruled he was acting in self defence.
Peter Steward Ward, 59, of Chelmarsh, was accused of criminal damage to property for shooting a six-month-old Blonde D'Aquitaine cow valued at £700 belonging to Trevor Pugh, who owns a nearby farm.
Mr Ward denied that charge and also one of failing to comply with the conditions of his firearm certificate after shooting his .243 rifle at the cattle.
During a trial on Friday, magistrates at Telford agreed that the animal had posed a serious risk to the defendant, and decided he had acted to protect himself.
Chris Coughlan, prosecuting, claimed Mr Ward had become angry at the issues he had been having with his neighbour and shot the cow in retaliation.
But Mr Ward said he had shot the animal in self defence when a number of them had galloped at him after damaging his fence – and that if he hadn't he could have died.
Mr Ward said that he had frequent issues with cattle from the farm coming onto his land, but in the early morning of May 13 the problem escalated.
"They had smashed the fence down," he said. "I tried to put the fence panels back up. All of a sudden one charged and the rest followed.
"They got very close. There was nothing between them and me. I couldn't have run away, they were too fast."
Instead Mr Ward shot into the crowd of animals with his .243 rifle, and although one was killed the rest stopped and turned back into the field.
Shocked and shaken, he returned to his home to regather his thoughts. He locked up his rifle and took a shotgun with him to repair the fence and move the body of the dead animal, which he said was attracting the other cows on to his land.
He said that they had charged him again and that he had fired his shotgun three times to scare them away.
Hearing the shots, Mr Pugh's son Edward ran out, saw the dead cow and called the police.
Peter Glenser, defending Mr Ward, read the expert testimony of vet Stephen Lomax, who said the Blonde D'Aquitaine could be particularly aggressive.
"Blondes are considered the most aggressive and unpredictable of all beef cattle," he read.
Magistrate Tim Cooke said: "Mr Ward's testimony has been convincing and credible. We find him not guilty."
In the time since the incident, cow proof fences have been put up along sections of the border between the two properties.
