Man arrested over death of animal-loving author
A MURDER investigation has been launched three weeks after a farm worker was found dead in a bull pen.
Detectives said yesterday they had arrested a 26-year-old man.
It was initially thought Katherine Bevan – known as Kate – was killed by the animal she was looking after.
But the results of a post mortem examination suggested foul play.
The 53-year-old’s body was found at around 10.45pm on January 3 in outbuildings at the horse-breeding farm, where she lived and worked part-time as a volunteer.
Devon and Cornwall Police said: “A post mortem was completed on Saturday, January 18 at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital.
“As a consequence, officers from the Major Crime Team based in
Exeter have launched a murder investigation. A 26-year-old local man has been arrested on suspicion of murder. He remains in police custody at this time.”
Kate helped look after cattle at Combe Farm in Gittisham while working as a pharmacist for the Vale Veterinary Group. She had recently written a book about the cows.
Last night farm owner Michael Harris, a former director of the Royal Stud of Oman and a past president of the Arab Horse Society, said: “Katherine was a very, very dear friend and a wonderful person.
“She was the most amazing person and we miss her so very much. Everyone here is obviously very upset but we have been told by the police we cannot say anything at the moment.”
Co-worker Nancy Abdel, 38, said: “Kate was by far the most compassionate person I’ve ever met in my life. She was very bubbly and very cheerful, always finding the good in people and very forgiving.
“It’s so very sad that somebody as amazing as her, with her life and all the amazing plans she had for the future, will not now accomplish them. I’m devastated.”
Nancy added that
Kate’s
Etienne Stott took medal to court life revolved around her horse, Matisse, and the cattle. “She was amazing with cows,” Nancy said. “She understood them like no other person.”
She planned to open a rescue centre for cows which people could visit, she added.
Last month Kate published a book about her experiences at Combe Farm, entitled Knowing Daisy, after a calf she helped rear. In it she
A BRITISH Olympian took his gold medal into court as he was sentenced for his role in the Extinction Rebellion protests.
Canoeist Etienne Stott, a hero of the 2012 Games, was arrested after refusing to move from Waterloo Bridge during the climatechange demonstrations in London last year.
He told a court yesterday he acted out of a “sense of revealed she was “brought” to the farm five years ago by its horses but stayed as she fell in love with the herd of cattle.
She described the farm as “the most perfect location I have ever found. A stunning landscape, amazing views and a charm all its own”.
And she said of Daisy: “I could have no idea of what lay ahead and how this tiny brown calf staring back fear” and “sense of duty” when he defied police attempts to move him.
He added: “For me, the stakes are too high and I must get my message through. We are facing the collapse of civilisation.
“As a good person, with a voice and a platform, I feel it was my duty to act in the way that I did. We will
at me would change my life forever. It was to be the start of an incredible friendship and an amazing journey.
“I very quickly realised I could not imagine my life without her. I also began to learn just how affectionate and loving these little creatures are.
“I became more involved in helping to take care of the herd, which stands at over 100. Its been a constant journey of learning.” be vindicated sooner or later and I happen to believe it will be sooner.”
Stott – who wore an Extinction Rebellion badge on his suit – was found guilty of a public order offence and given a nine month conditional discharge and £300 fine.
But sentencing Judge Michael Snow, who co-ordinated trials of the protesters at City of ‘It was her life’...the farm, its owner Michael Harris and the book Kate wrote about how she fell in love with a calf and the herd of cattle
London magistrates court, said he found them to be “impressive people”.
Addressing Stott, he added: “You are clearly terrified for the future.”
The 40-year-old, from Nottingham, won the Olympic canoe slalom event with his partner Tim Baillie in 2012 and was awarded an MBE in 2013.
He retired from the sport in 2016.
TORY MPs vowed yesterday to ignore Labour outrage and attend the Durham Miners Gala to mark their strength in the North.
Durham Miner’s Association president Alan Mardghum said he “would rather be found dead in a ditch” than invite them.
The firebrand also claimed the newly elected MPs “might need to speak to the police to make sure that they’re safe on the day”.
But the Conservatives, who won four of the seven County Durham seats at the General Election, were defiant.
Dehenna Davison, Tory MP for Bishop Auckland, Co Durham, tweeted: “See you there, Alan.”
Richard Holden, who won Laura Pidcock’s North West Durham seat, previously said he would be “more than happy” to go along. He added: “People in the North-east have rejected the class war politics.”
‘She was amazing ...she understood cows like no other person’
A COMPANY boss who killed an elderly couple after he was distracted by his satnav has been jailed for three months.
Gary Marshall’s Land Rover ploughed into a Skoda Fabia carrying William and Brenda Skears when he lost control on a bend in November 2018.
A court heard Marshall, 61, had pressed the device to accept an alternative route while on the A508 in Roade, Northants.
Paramedics pronounced William, 89, and Brenda, 85, of nearby Paulerspury, dead at the scene.
Marshall, of Mansfield, Notts, admitted causing death by careless driving at Northampton Crown Court. Sentencing him on Monday, Judge Adrienne Lucking said: “You should have been more aware.”