Sheep rustler on TV
Farmer’s £15,000 fight to clear name after he’s branded a
A FARMER who was filmed being arrested on suspicion of sheep rustling as part of a reality TV show has proved the animals belong to him – after spending £15,000 on a 12-month legal battle.
Ross Hutchinson, 39, was being filmed by BBC Countryside 999 last year when he was accused of stealing four sheep.
He said he had felt publicly shamed, adding: ‘I have spent £15,000 on legal costs that I won’t get back. It has been more than a year of my life.
‘A lot of people won’t speak to me now because they think I have stolen these sheep.’
The case against Mr Hutchinson, who runs Bayles Farm in Eggleston, County Durham, was thrown out of court last week after his defence team produced DNA evidence confirming the sheep were part of his flock. He is now considering legal action against the police.
Mr Hutchinson’s solicitor Simon Catterall said the police were ‘seriously distracted’ by the filming of the television show, adding: ‘If as much attention was given to the evidence as to the cameras the case would have folded a long time ago.’
Mr Hutchinson has also lodged a formal complaint against Durham police for the way they arrested his elderly father, pulling his car over, handcuffing him and keeping him at a station for five hours. He said: ‘He was pulled over by two police vans and four police officers, arrested and handcuffed in front of television crews. It was disgraceful, over the top, and heavy-handed.’
His father was released after he explained his son ran the farm, which has been in the family for more than 100 years.
Durham police would not comment on the case yesterday. The BBC Countryside 999 episode was broadcast on BBC1 in February. The series filmed the work of rural police officers in Britain.