Farmers at war
Landowner faces prison for campaign of harassment against horse-riding neighbours he holds responsible for death of his mother
‘There will be a death down here’
A FARMER is facing jail for mounting a campaign of harassment against the family he blamed for his mother’s death.
Philip Hall, 49, was convinced fertilisers used by the Stephens family on their neighbouring farm killed his mother Ann two years ago.
In revenge he repeatedly tried to spook the eventing horse ridden by Katie Stephens-Grandy. The 38-year-old said the incidents left her terrified.
The court found Hall deliberately targeted her mount twice, first by waving his arms and the second time by banging a wheelbarrow into a fence.
Mrs Stephens-Grandy, who is an experienced eventer, dressage rider and instructor, said she barely avoided being thrown each time.
Scarborough magistrates were told the feud began in March 2017, around the time Mrs Hall died. Her son faced charges relating to this February and March.
He and his father David had turned up at the farm run by Paul Stephens, 66, and claimed his fertilisers had caused Mrs Hall’s premature death. The two farms are half a mile apart in Malton, North Yorkshire. David Hall allegedly said: ‘There has been a death up there and there will be a death down here.’
Philip Hall was said to have threatened to ‘torch this spot’.
When asked about the circumstances of his mother’s death, Hall broke down in the witness box.
Giving evidence, Mrs Stephens-Grandy said when Hall and his father turned up at the home in 2017, she had been bottle feeding her baby daughter.
She said: ‘I was shocked. Hall was just glaring in and looking about with piercing eyes. They didn’t knock. They burst in through the door. They seemed really angry. They seemed fired up.’
She said she and her family did not even know that Mrs Hall was dead.
‘We learned a lot very quickly. They mentioned spraying, chemicals, pesticides and muck heaps,’ she added.
Moor Farm has been owned by the Stephens family for three generations and has stables for breeding and training. The Halls moved to Summit Farm 17 years ago.
It was alleged they complained to the Health and Safety Executive about the spraying in the wake of Mrs Hall’s death. Officials visited the farm twice but took no action. It is not known whether there was an inquest into the death.
The two families did not speak socially after Mr Stephens went to welcome them to the neighbourhood and Mrs Hall told him to ‘mind your own business’.
The Stephens family claimed Mrs Hall had regularly startled their horses and swore at them. Hall was also said to have blocked Mrs Stephens Grandy’s husband, James Grandy, when he took a spraying machine out at dawn.
Mr Stephens told the court: ‘He was standing right in front of the sprayer, saying: “You killed my mother”.’
Police were called but Hall refused to move and Mr Grandy was forced to reverse back down the road and take another route to the field.
The court was told that when a policeman came to arrest Hall on suspicion of harassment following the incident the officer had to call for help because Hall was resisting and lashed out. Extra officers arrived and managed to overpower him, it was said.
In his evidence, Hall denied the allegations against him.
He also denied holding the Stephens family responsible for his mother’s death but claimed their crop spraying had harmed his own health.
Hall repeatedly refused to answer questions from the prosecution about an incident in which he is said to have blocked Mrs Stephens-Grandy’s car. Instead he stared at his face on the court screen.
Magistrates took an hour to find him guilty of harassment following a two-day trial. Sentence was adjourned and Hall was bailed with a warning that he could be jailed.